Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Causes of Back pain
Most lower back pain is referred to as ‘non-specific’ because it is caused, not by serious damage or disease, but by sprains, muscle strains, minor injuries, or a pinched or irritated nerve. It can also occur during pregnancy, or because of stress, viral infection, kidney infection, or sleep disorder.
Back pain can also be triggered by everyday activities: awkward bending, lifting, twisting, coughing, sneezing, muscle tension, over-stretching or driving for long periods without a break. Accidents in the home, at work, or when driving (including whiplash) are also common causes.
The most common form of serious back pain is caused by the bulging or rupture of one or more of the intervertebral discs causing the inner jelly-like material (nucleus pulposus) to press on the spinal cord or nerve roots which run next to the disc. This is commonly known as a ‘slipped disc’ but is more accurately described as a ‘prolapsed’ (bulging) or ‘herniated’ (ruptured) disc; the core of the disc leaks rather than slips resulting not only in back pain but also pain in the buttocks, thigh and leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve.
Discs usually dehydrate and degenerate with age, or following an injury. This results in the discs becoming less flexible, less useful in cushioning the vertebrae, and therefore a common cause of stiffness and pain, especially early in the morning and in the elderly (through osteoporosis).
Persistent lower back pain may also be caused by a number of other rare conditions such as congenital spinal defects, bone diseases, tumour, pelvic inflammatory disease, congenital defects, and prostatitis.
