Common Causes of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can be excruciating and often uncomfortable, especially if it’s more persistent. And while it may seemingly come from out of the blue, there are numerous reasons why it keeps coming back. Lower back pain emanates from your spine after a long period of awkward positioning when sleeping, seating, or going about your everyday errands. However, the glad tiding is that you can visit a chiropractor for expert treatment. Here are the typical causes of lower back pain you should be cognizant of.
1. Sleeping Posture and Positioning
As you sleep, you may position your body awkwardly, which can be the genesis of your adversity. Chiropractors advise against sleeping on your stomach while resting your head on a pillow since that creates a dent, putting pressure on your lower back. Also, sleeping on your side with your legs bent upwards can be detrimental to your back. Instead, make it a habit of sleeping on your back and perhaps on a soft and cozy mattress and pillow. Keep your sleeping position as natural as possible to avoid nagging back pain.
2. Inflamed Joints
Trochanteric bursitis is a common condition resulting from inflammation of the bursa on your greater trochanter, a lateral point of your hip. Additionally, arthritis or an injury can cause inflammation, leading to unbearable pain requiring immediate attention. You may need to check your weight since that can cause inflammation on your joints, especially on your hip area. That’s because excess fat usually creates and releases inflaming chemicals. Also, eating lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains constitute a healthy diet that helps fight inflammation naturally.
3. Sedentary Lifestyle
If you stay hours on end without being active and vigorous, there’s an incredible chance of developing some lower back pain. Sedentary living encompasses posture problems resulting from staying seated in a similar position that puts pressure on your lower back. It leads to weak hip, core, and back muscles that hardly support your spine, misaligning it and causing lower back pain. However, you can change that by checking your sitting position and being more active through doing stretching exercises to strengthen weak muscles.
4. Spinal Injuries
Spinal disorders can cause persistent spinal lower back pain and often require medical attention and treatments at home. Several spinal conditions tied to lower back pain include:
- Spinal Stenosis: This condition results from spinal cord narrowing and the spaces within. That exerts a strain on the nerves traveling through your spine, leading to lower back pain.
- Herniated Disk: Spinal disk herniation can compress a nerve, leading to lower back pain. That occurs when a single nucleus portion forces out through an annulus crack, which may be painful.
- Degenerative Disk Disease: Your spinal disks may wear or degenerate, causing a low-level chronic pain with a spasm of severe pain. However, degeneration may occur with old age, compromising your spinal integrity.
- Spondylitis: If there’s an inflammation on your joints between your vertebrae, it may lead to chronic back pain. However, your lower spine may be more painful due to excessive pressure from your body weight.
5. Muscle Injuries
Muscle injuries from various parts of the body can impact your range of motion. That directly or indirectly causes lower back pain as you switch into postures and body positions to maintain balance. Strains and sprains are common when you subject yourself to hard labor that pushes your body way beyond its standard range of motion. Or, your workouts may be way beyond your body’s handling ability, which often leads to muscle tendons and ligament tears.
6. Sciatica
Compression or disruption of your sciatic nerve can cause lower back pain and often results from making sudden movements, including standing or sitting quickly. The sciatic nerve runs to your legs from your lower back and can be the genesis of lower back pain. The pain is usually shooting and piercing, but maintains its severity even long after it occurs. You can treat sciatica at home using ice packs, stretching, or taking OTC medication. However, a chiropractor can definitely help.
Conclusion
Lower back pain can be nagging, especially if persistent and occurs intermittently. Numerous reasons can lead to having lower back pain, making your life uncomfortable. However, you can visit a chiropractor for focused medical help and treatment.