There are many lower back pain causes. These include nerve irritation, lumbar strain, bony encroachment, lumbar radiculopathy, and some other joints and bone conditions. Each of these lower back pain causes is reviewed in this article.

1. Nerve Irritation

Being one of lower back pain causes, nerve irritation can cause the sufferer too much pain because any disease along the path of nerves can irritate the lumbar spine. This can occur anywhere from the spinal cord roots to the skin surface. This condition is often associated with different back pain diseases such as lumbar disc disease, bony encroachment, and nerve inflammation.

2. Acute and Chronic Lumbar Strain

Being one of lower back pain causes, a lumbar strain can be very painful as it is the result of a stretching injury that occurred in the lower back muscle ligaments and tendons, thereby causing different degrees of microscopic degeneration in the affected tissues. This condition is often caused by trauma, overuse, or improper use. Lumbar strain is classified into two types: acute lumbar strain which means that the lower back pain has been felt by the patient for days or weeks while chronic lumbar strain has been felt for more than three months already.

3. Bony Encroachment

Bony encroachment is experienced when the vertebrae located in the lumbar spine grows or move, causing the space of the nerves and spinal cords to be limited. Because of the extreme pain it causes, it is considered as one of the major lower back pain causes and is typically caused by foraminal narrowing, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis, which are also the known causes of sciatica pain characterized by a radiating pain in the lower part of the body. Pain felt after walking is known as the spinal stenosis but this can be eased by resting. Different treatments for these conditions are available but the treatment plan is based on how severe or serious the condition is. The treatment plan may be as easy as taking a rest or as complicated as surgical decompression.

4. Lumbar Radiculopathy

A type of nerve irritation, lumbar radiculopathy is a result of the damages in the discs along the vertebrae. This is usually caused by degeneration or wear and tear of the outer ring of the discs, traumatic injury, or even both. Because of these, the middle portion may rupture or be herniated through the outer ring of the disc and adjacent to the spinal column. The damage in this area causes sciatica pain that can be felt through the legs.

5. Joint and Bone Conditions

Joint and bone conditions are one of the leading lower back pain causes. These conditions can be congenital injury acquired from birth or wear and tear injury due to the degeneration of tissues, muscles, and bones, or due to injuries caused by arthritis or inflammation of the joints. Some of the more common congenital injuries are spina bifida and scoliosis while spondylosis is one of the more common degenerative injuries. Fractures and arthritis are two of the more common joint and bone conditions

There you go- some of the most common lower back pain causes. If you feel any symptoms of lower back pain, make sure to consult with your doctor right away to see if any of the above mentioned is the reason why you feel some pain in your lower back.

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Posted July 20th, 2010 by Author No Comments »