A person’s back is crucial to almost every aspect of movement. What may seem to be something related to legs or arms is almost always linked to the back through the body’s musculoskeletal system. Back pain can be a short term issue or be chronic. Back pain can be mild, but is often quite severe. Back pain can be caused by a huge number of different issues. This article will focus on some of the ways in which a back becomes injured and painful. While it will contain several things, it is far from a comprehensive list due to the wide variety of potential causes. There are many different medicines, treatments, creams and products which claim to assist a person with back pain. Unfortunately, not all of them are legitimate and back pain tends to draw some fraudulent items into the open.
1 - Muscle Strains
There are a large number of muscles in the back. These work together to provide appropriate movement. Straining one of the muscles (or ligaments) in the back is one of the most common and easy ways to experience back pain. Awkward movements by the back can cause strains, but so can sudden movements. People who struggle for fitness or consistently put stress on their back are more likely to experience powerful strains that feel like muscle spasms. Muscle strains are very common while playing sports, especially for people who may not be in sporting shape.
2 - Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a very problematic condition which can cause a large amount of back pain. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become porous. This means that they lose some of the structural integrity that a fully solid bone should have. When this is in the spinal cord, it can lead to fractures, especially compression fractures in the bones. In turn, this means a large amount of back pain to handle.
3 - Spinal Disk Damage
The spine is made up of vertebrae and disks. It’s these disks which function as the cushioning between the different vertebrae. Unfortunately, it’s possible for these disks to either bulge or rupture. When this happens, the disk gets out of shape and tends to press on a nerve. This causes a large amount of pain. Disk problems can occur repeatedly and can be caused by diseases, or by impact injuries. Sometimes disk problems aren’t realized without having an X-ray of the body. This is because they won’t always press on a nerve, so it’s not always apparent what’s occurring.
4 - Osteoarthritis
While there are many different forms of arthritis, the most common type that causes back pain is osteoarthritis. Unlike many of these other causes of back pain, osteoarthritis is typically found only in the lower back area. Arthritis can also lead to a condition known as spinal stenosis. The space around the spine narrows, limiting movement and causing additional back pain.
5 - Sciatica
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the entire body. It starts at the base of the spine and runs down through the legs. This nerve is crucial to controlling legs and feet. When irritated through some kind of injury, the pain can often be felt very strongly in the lower back region (as well as legs and buttocks). Sciatica is very common. It’s estimated that 2 out of every 5 people will deal with sciatica at some point in their lifetime.
6 - Infections or Tumors
While most back pain will come from one of the earlier listed items, there are also some infections that can occur which will cause pain in the back and spine. These can be infections that come from bacteria or fungus. Some of the examples of these infections include