Possible Causes of Low Back Pain
Often, our patients will ask, "What's causing my back pain?" Sometimes the answer is easy to pinpoint if the back pain is a new condition or symptom. Perhaps there has been an injury like lifting something substantial creating muscle strain. Trauma such as car accidents or sports injuries is other quick-acting influences on low back pain and flare-ups. Or lifestyle changes such as recent weight gain or pregnancy that alter the body mechanics and cause pain, inflammation, and new stresses on the lower back.
Other times, the cause of low back pain is longer-term problems and issues that lead to diagnosable chronic issues. The physical changes in bone mass and muscle-strength involved in aging are perfect examples of this type of long-term low back pain. And low back pain may be caused by several factors at once. Examples of longer-term problems include:
- Sciatica - The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back and down the back of each leg. Sciatic nerve impingement is where injury or degenerative changes cause pressure to be put on the sciatic nerve. A herniated or bulging disc can also pinch the sciatic, causing pain in the lower back that can spread into the hip, buttock, and leg.
- Arthritis - Joint inflammation is arthritis. This inflammation impacts the joints, the tissue that surrounds the joints, and possibly the connective tissue around the joints. It can be caused by aging, injury, or chronic misuse of the joint. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis.
- Osteoarthritis - Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear on the protective cartilage of the joints that protects and cushions bones. This destruction of the cartilage leads to painful bone on bone contact and inflammation. Early signs of osteoarthritis include joint pain and stiffness.
- Degenerative Disc Disease - As we age, the discs in our spine can lose some of their water content. We can even lose an inch or more of height each day from this loss of water and the impact of gravity pulling us down. This drying and thinning of the discs pulls on the facet joints that connect the vertebrae. This creates inflammation and possibly accelerates the onset and development of spinal arthritis.
It’s important to remember that just because you're suffering from low back pain, even if you've been living with the pain for years, it doesn't mean there isn’t any hope. Our team at Advanced Health Professionals has decades of experience successfully treating low back pain. Our natural, safe, and non-invasive treatments stop pain fast and end low back pain in our multidisciplinary practice in Norwalk.
Call or text Advanced Health Professionals in Norwalk CT today at (203) 847-4477 to learn how we can get you started on your path to drug-free rehabilitation and recovery so you can get back to the quality of life you desire.