About 31 million people in America suffer from back pain at any given time. If you’re one of them, then you know how bad the pain can truly be.
But do you know the common causes of back pain? They may surprise you and you may even be able to try and prevent them.
Sometimes back pain can get better over time without surgery. But sometimes surgery may be necessary to make you feel better.
Keep reading to find out seven causes of back pain and symptoms.
1. Pulled Muscle or Tendon
Back pain can be from many causes and especially straining too much. Lifting heavy objects or working out could cause your back to be sore. You may even experience pain from sleeping in an awkward position.
A sore back from this could be because of a strain or sprain from one of the many muscles of tendons in your back. The symptoms from a pulled muscle or tendon are tightness or spasms in your back. You will also feel a bit of soreness from a pulled muscle or tendon in your back.
2. Structural Problems
In your back, there are many bones stacked on top of each other that make up your spine. In between those bones are cushioned areas caused disks. Having a disk injury can be very painful in your back and are fairly common.
If you have a disk injury, then your nerves can be compressed. You could also experience the disks bulge, herniate, or rupture. This will cause you a lot of pain and you may want to seek medical attention.
Symptoms you could experience include pain, tingling, and numbness. These sensations can go from your back and down through your leg.
3. Getting Older
As you get older, those same disks in your back start to break down over time. This could cause the bones to start rubbing against each other which is called degenerate disk disease. You may start to feel pain and stiffness as your disks break down.
When this happens a jelly-like film will push against the outer wall of the disk causing it to herniate. You will start to experience discomfort that can travel to one or both of your legs because the jelly-like fluid will irritate your other nerves.
4. Fractures
Obviously, your back will start to hurt if you have fractured or broke a vertebra. This could happen from a fall or other severe accident. If you have fractured a vertebra, then you will experience extreme pain where it is broken in your back.
Your vertebra can also crumble over time which can cause you pain when you move. This is another thing that can irritate your nerves and also cause pain in your legs.
5. Inflammation
Inflammation can cause chronic soreness in your back if not treated properly and right away. This could happen after an injury or disease that is trying to heal.
The symptoms of inflammation are heat or pain in your back.
6. Overuse
Using the muscles in your back too much can also cause them to get sore. You need to always be careful about what you’re doing so you don’t overexert the muscles in your back.
If your job consists of constantly lifting heavy boxes or activities like shoveling snow, then you should take special care of the muscles in your back. Make sure to drink lots of water and take breaks when needed. Overusing your back muscles could lead to life long chronic pain.
7. Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Over time, osteoporosis in your back can start to affect your lower back. This is a disease that causes your bone mass to decrease as time goes on. As your bone mass decreases you’re more likely to experience fractures in your spine.
The symptoms of osteoporosis or arthritis are usually extreme pain, stiffness, or soreness in your lower back.
How to Get Relief
If you experience back pain regularly, then you’re probably itching for a way to feel some sort of relief. There are many different options you have to try and get some relief from your back pain. Ultimately, it is up to you to try and see which remedies will work the best for your back pain.
Exercise or Stretching
To try to prevent future back pain you should partake in regular light aerobics. This would be exercises or stretches that don’t overuse the muscles in your back. Walking or swimming are great activities that will help to stretch your back muscles without overusing them.
Get Better Sleep
You can develop back pain from sleeping in a strange position or not getting enough hours of sleep. Your body needs rest to help itself recover from the pain your experiencing. You may want to invest in a new mattress or readjust your sleeping position for pain relief.
Heat and Cold
Applying heat and cold can help greatly with your back problems. Applying an ice pack to your pack can help numb the pain. But if you have stiff or achy muscles, then applying heat will help to relax them.
Wear Better Shoes
Make sure that the shoes you’re wearing every day have good support. Shoes that don’t fit correctly or have bad support can put a real strain on your back.
Quit Smoking
If you’re a smoker and have back pain, then you may think about quitting. This could get rid of a lot of the pain you’re feeling. Make sure to talk to your doctor to get help on how to quit.
Common Causes of Back Pain
Common causes of back pain can come from pretty much any overuse of your back muscles. If not treated, then this could result in worse pain or even the development of diseases.
Back pain can feel like the end of the world sometimes from the terrible pain you’re feeling but there are many things you can do at home to try and treat it. If your pain is unmanageable, then make sure to contact your doctor right away in case it is more severe than you may think.
Now that you’ve read about the common causes of back pain and their symptoms, you should check out the other posts right here on our blog for more health and fitness advice.
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