Lower back pain

Lower back pain is very common. Almost 2 in every 3 people have pain in their lower back at some point. The cause isn’t normally serious and you can often manage the pain yourself. But for some people, getting advice from a physiotherapist or doctor is important.

Lower back pain is pain in the area of your back from the bottom of your ribs to the top of your legs. It can come from any of the many structures that make up your back. These include bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, nerves and tendons.

Your spine supports your back. It’s made up of 24 separate bones called vertebrae stacked on top of one another. The lower section of your spine is called the lumbar spine. Below the vertebrae, at the bottom of your spine, are bones called your sacrum and coccyx. You may hear lower back pain referred to as lumbosacral pain.

Discs of cartilage sit between each vertebra, acting as shock absorbers and allowing your spine to bend. Some lower back pain originates from these discs. Your spinal cord threads through the vertebrae, carrying nerve signals between your brain and the rest of your body. If nerves at the base of your spine become compressed or inflamed, it can cause sciatica. Sciatica is a type of pain that starts in your back or buttocks and spreads down your leg.

Lower back pain can be classed in two different ways: specific back pain and non-specific back pain.

Sometimes, there may be a specific cause of your back pain. These can include the following.

• A slipped (herniated) disc. This means one of the discs between your vertebrae bulges out of shape and presses on the spinal nerves surrounding it. It’s a common cause of sciatica.
• A fracture – a crack or break in one of your vertebrae. This can happen after trauma to your spine, or if you have osteoporosis (a condition that weakens your bones).
• Facet joint pain. This is pain in one of the joints that link the bones in your spine together.
• Inflammatory lower back pain. This can be caused by a condition such as ankylosing spondylitis, which causes inflammation in your spinal joints and ligaments.

Sometimes, you may feel problems affecting other organs in your body, such as your kidneys, pancreas or bowel, as back pain. And occasionally, a more serious condition, such as an infection or cancer, can cause pain in your lower back. These things are much less common causes of lower back pain.

This means that no particular cause can be found for your back pain. It’s by far the most common type of back pain. It’s often a result of a simple strain of the muscles, tendons or ligaments around your back. But it can be hard to tell for sure.

It might not always be possible to say exactly what’s caused your back pain. But there are certain things that can increase your risk. These can include:

• lifting heavy or awkward objects
• being obese
• being inactive
• having a demanding job, or being stressed due to work
• standing for a long time
• being depressed

The symptoms of lower back pain can vary from person to person. It may come on suddenly, perhaps after you’ve lifted something heavy or moved in a way that’s hurt your back. Or it may come on gradually over time or for no clear reason. Some people get a dull pain in their back, while others describe it as more of a tearing or burning pain. You may find certain things make the pain worse, and other things help to relieve it. The pain can range from mild to severe.

If you have sciatica, pain can spread from your back or buttock down your leg, sometimes as far as your foot or toes.

At Normaltonic Clinic we strive to provide effective and efficient treatment to manage low back pain.