Acute Lower Back Pain and the Different Reasons
Posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at 12:52 pmAcute lower back pain is a common concern of people, affecting up to 80% of the American population. Around 50% experience more than one episode of back pain. Acute lower back pain is not considered a disease. It is rather a symptom that occurs from different processes. In fact, in around 70% of people with lower back pain, no specific cause can be identified despite thorough medical examinations. Nevertheless, there are some reasons or incidences that trigger the pain to attack. Read on and know some of them.
Some of the reasons why a person experiences acute lower back pain are injuries or diseases in bones, muscles, and spinal nerves. The pain caused by organ abnormalities within the pelvis, abdomen, or chest may also be experienced in the back. Different intra-abdominal disorders such as kidney diseases, appendicitis, aneurysm, pelvic infections, ovarian disorders, bladder infections, and others can cause lower back pain. Even normal pregnancy can cause acute lower back pain in many ways, such as stretching pelvis ligaments, straining the lower back, and irritating nerves. All these will be considered by your doctor as he evaluates your pain.
Nerve impingement, a condition caused by ruptured or herniated disc between the lower back bones, may be characterized by symptoms including acute lower back pain. One example of this condition is called sciatica, manifested by acute lower back pain together with other symptoms like numbness in the area of the leg where the affected nerve supplies blood. Spondylosis, a condition caused by the decrease in the disc height and loss of moisture and volume of the interverterbral discs due to aging, may also be characterized by acute lower back pain. Other cases that may be characterized by this symptom include minor physical trauma from similar circumstances.
Lower back pain symptoms may also manifest if you have spinal stenosis, with pain characterized as radiating down to the lower extremities of the body, particularly when standing or walking at a prolonged period of time. Acute lower back pain may also be caused by cauda equine syndrome, a medical emergency that occurs when the spinal cord is directly compressed. Back pain symptoms may also signal myofascial pain accompanied by tenderness in affected areas, immobile muscle groups, and pain in the peripheral nerves.
Other factors that trigger acute lower back pain are osteomyelitis, fibromyalgia, tumors, and nerve inflammation. Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain and tenderness throughout the body, generalized stiffness, fatigue, lower back pain, and muscle aches. Osteomyelitis is characterized by stiffness and pain in the spine. Cancerous tumors are said to be characterized by acute lower back pain. Spinal nerve inflammation is caused by spinal nerve infection from the virus known as herpes zoster. This condition is characterized by shingles in spine and lower and upper back pain.
There you go - some reasons why you experience acute lower back pain. To avoid wrong assumptions, make sure to consult with your doctor and rule out possible reasons for this pain.
If you are looking for more information on lower back pain, then make sure to watch our video and reveal in depth information on lower back pain causes.
