Acute 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.
Injuries or diseases in the muscles, spinal nerves, and bones are some of the reasons or factors that trigger acute lower back pain. It could also be triggered by abnormalities in the chest, abdomen, pelvis, or other organs, all of which are characterized by the pain in the back. Lower back pain may also be caused by bladder infections, ovarian disorders, pelvic infections, aneurysm, appendicitis, kidney diseases, and other intra-abdominal disorders. Even pregnant women can experience acute lower back pain. Back pain in pregnancy is due to irritation of the nerves, strain and pressure placed on the lower back, and stretching of the pelvis ligaments. All these are important factors that will help in the evaluation and diagnosis of your condition.
Acute lower back pain may also be a symptom of nerve impingement due to the herniated or ruptured disc between the bones at the lower back. Sciatica is one condition of nerve root impingement, which is characterized by acute lower back pain that is localized at a specific area in the back accompanied by other symptoms such as numbed legs. Acute lower back pain may also be caused by spondylosis, a condition caused by the loss of moisture and volume of the intervertebral discs and decrease in the disc’s height due to aging. Inflammation and nerve impingement may also result from minor physical trauma from similar circumstances. These can produce classic sciatica even without damaging the disc.
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 reasons for acute lower back pain include fibromyalgia, osteomyelitis, nerve inflammation, and tumors. Fibromyalgia causes tenderness and pain throughout the body, fatigue, generalized stiffness, muscle aches, and lower back pain. Osteomyelitis is the infection of the spinal bones, which causes pain and stiffness in the spine. Tumors, especially cancerous tumors are also considered a source of acute lower back pain. Inflammation of spinal nerves occurs when the spinal nerves are infected with the virus called herpes zoster. This virus causes shingles in the spine and can affect the lower back area thereby causing lower back pain and the thoracic area thereby causing upper back pain.
Those given in this article are just a few of the factors or reasons you have acute lower back pain. However, it is still best to seek medical attention when any of the above symptoms manifest in your body.
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