The Many Causes of Back Pain

Back Be Nimble Newsletter - Aug, 2019

While back pain is quite common, it is unique in how it affects different people. Ranging anywhere from the throbbing or dull aches of spine osteoarthritis to the sharp, shooting pain of a ruptured disc; it can come and go, remain constant, or worsen.

While back pain can be debilitating and frustrating, many cases may improve or resolve with home back pain solutions and minimal effort on your part. In such cases, the typical time frame for resolution is 2 to 3 weeks.

The Most Common Causes of Back Pain

There are numerous potential causes for back pain. Some of the more common causes are:

Muscle Sprain/Strain:

Muscle strains and sprains are possibly the most commonly diagnosed causes of back pain, especially when pertaining to the lower back. Although a common diagnosis, this determination is often inaccurate. A strain is the tearing of a tendon or muscle, and a sprain refers to ripping of a ligament. These tears generally would only result from a moderate to severe traumatic injury, so if your symptoms are insidious or develop without a clear causal traumatic incident, it would be highly unlikely this would be a sprain/strain. However, if you did suffer a sprain/strain the resulting symptoms may include pain, inflammation, and in some cases, muscle spasms. Whiplash from an automobile accident is a common cause of a sprain/strain of the neck or back.

Ruptured and Bulging Disc:

Spinal discs are located between the adjacent vertebrae and act as shock-absorbing pads. For a combination of reasons, the discs often deteriorate over time. This makes them more apt to bulging, disc herniation and possible rupture with late stage degeneration and/or further trauma. When a spinal disc ruptures, the inner contents (aka: the nucleus) are discharged, and often compress adjacent nerve roots or the spinal cord. Symptoms may be: severe pain, muscle spasm, antalgic leaning, and pain in upper or lower extremities (arms or legs).

Spine Osteoarthritis:

This condition can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. It develops as a result of the wear and tear of the cartilage located between the spine's joints. While the cartilage wears away, an aching, throbbing or dull pain may develop. An unpleasant popping sensation may be felt as the cartilage completely wears away and the joints begin rubbing against each other. Joint stiffness and a limited range of motion may also result. Sufferers often wake up feeling very stiff.

Sacro-iliac Joint Dysfunction:

Also known as the S/I joint, it is not uncommon to hear elderly folks say: "My sacro-iliac is out". Surprisingly to many, sacro-iliac joint problems are the most common cause of lower back pain. The S/I joint is the juncture between the pelvic bone and the base of the spine known as the sacrum. The pain from this is usually one sided and can often mimic symptoms of a disc problem; presenting severe pain, disability, and/or referred pain to the buttocks and thigh, similar to sciatica. This may be caused by lifting, a jolt to the spine or simply falling on your behind. Sacro-iliac problems are more likely the reason for low back pain and spasm than the diagnosis of a sprain or strain.

Sciatica:

Sciatica refers to pinching or compression of the sciatic nerve, often caused as the result of a bone spur or herniated disc. It also may be caused by a spasm of the piriformis muscle in the buttock region or as a side effect of having a sacro-iliac joint dysfunction. Because the sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, compression of it may lead to pain extending from the lower back thru the buttocks, and down to the legs & feet. In addition to cramping and/or burning pain; patients may experience numbness, muscle weakness, and tingling.

Osteoporosis:

This is a weakening of the bones that can make them more prone to breaking. Back pain from osteoporosis is most commonly related to a vertebrae compression fracture. The pain is often felt in the middle or lower areas of the back.

Best Products You Can Use at Home to Help Your Back Pain:

Better Back A portable and foldable back support that is ergonomically designed to support proper neutral spine alignment and to promote correct posture while sitting in different positions. The Betterback Support adds great orthopedic stability to the pelvis providing more integrity to a weak back.

Novafon Professional Sonic Massager: Uses a sonic vibration that is tuned to assist nature in the healing process. This greatly increases blood supply and nutrition for healing, while removing lactic acid and harmful by products of cellular metabolism. This therapy will penetrate the treated area as much as 2.36 inches below the skin.

Vyper 3 Fitness Recovery Roller: This product balances muscles, reduces spasms and dissolves sore spots. It is a science-based, vibrational therapy massager inside a ribbed foam outer core that has proven to be therapeutically intense. It has the potential for restoring muscle balance, releasing knots, dispersing trigger points and enhancing athletic performance.

Let Back Be Nimble help with your back pain.

Be Well,