Back pain is commonly linked to the following conditions:
Muscle or ligament strain. Repeated heavy lifting or a sudden awkward movement can strain back muscles and spinal ligaments.
Bulging or ruptured disks. Disks act as cushions between the bones (vertebrae) in your spine.
A herniated disk, which can occur in any part of the spine, can irritate a nearby nerve.
Arthritis, Skeletal irregularities. Or Osteoporosis which are diseases.
After ruling out the more common causes of back pain, your doctor will perform tests to determine if you have a rarer cause. These can include:
- displacement of one vertebral body onto another, called degenerative spondylolisthesis
- loss of nerve function at the lower spinal cord, called cauda equina syndrome (a medical emergency)
- fungal or bacterial infection of the spine, such as Staphylococcus, E. coli, or tuberculosis
- cancer or nonmalignant tumor in the spine
- kidney infection or kidney stonesOsteoporosis.
There are two types of back pain.
Mechanical pain. By far the most common cause of lower back pain, mechanical pain (axial pain) is pain primarily from the muscles, ligaments, joints (facet joints, sacroiliac joints), or bones in and around the spine.
Radicular pain. This type of pain can occur if a spinal nerve root becomes impinged or inflamed.
Since the causes and types of back pain are varied, you need the correct solution to stop the pain. The first thing to do is to see your health care provider and get an x=ray and examination to determine the problem. Get several opinions. Surgery should be the last desperate solution.
For minor back ache problems, you could try acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, stretching exercise, or even supplements.
For major problems, you could try spine decompression therapy, prolotherapy, or Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (tens).
For case histories, visit Amy Gibson Beats Back Pain and Jason Jones Stops Back Pain.
This is not medical advice. It is for information purposes only. Read our disclaimer. Before you decide or surgery or any procedure, learn all that you can so you can make the correct decision for you.
