The lower back, also known as the lumbar spine, consists of the vertebrae labelled from L1 to L5. In this area, many bones, joints, nerves and ligaments are interconnected to provide crucial support and strength to the upper body.
However, the very complex nature of this area leaves it susceptible to injury and damage. This makes it one of the most common reasons for a doctor’s appointment in the world.
The lower back is responsible for providing support for daily activities. It allows you to twist and bend your back. The muscles in this area are also responsible for walking as they rotate your hips.
Types of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is categorized in three types. Namely acute pain, subacute low back pain and Chronic back pain.
- Acute Pain: When there is tissue damage in the lower back, this type of pain usually occurs. It comes of suddenly and lasts until the tissue is repaired or healed. It can take up to a few days to a week to heal.
- Subacute Low Back pain: This type of pain occurs when there is muscle strain or joint pain. It is more sever in nature. It can last from 6 weeks to 3 months.
- Chronic Pain: This is the most severe type of back pain. It lasts over 3 months. A medical check-up is highly recommended in this case.
The pain may also manifest in different forms, such as dull pain, sharp pain, severe pain and mild pain, for example.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Apart from the pain, there may be other symptoms that are present. These include stiffness, numbness and reduced range of motion.
4 Lower Back Pain Causes
There are many reasons for back pain to occur as the grind of the day can play a huge factor in damaging your spine. We will be going over some common reasons of why you might be experiencing back pain in the lumbar spine. That being said the 4 most common reason for lower back pain are:
- Back muscle problems such as muscle pain, mostly due to a strain, sprain or back spasms. This can happen while doing an exercise such as lifting an object, sudden movement or bad posture.
- Spinal disorders such as sciatica, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, spinal arthritis (osteoarthritis), cauda equina syndrome, piriformis syndrome and others.
- Deformity like scoliosis may cause lower back pain if it leads to the breakdown of discs, joints, and such.
- Trauma/Injury: Caused by physical activities such as falling or a road accident.
Pain Management & Treatments
You can use one or a combination of the following methods to treat, prevent, and manage back pain at home.
- Pain relievers. Pain medicine can be helpful in providing short-term pain relief.
- Heat/Ice Therapy: Hot water will increase blood flow and allow for more nutrients and oxygen to reach the affected area. If there is inflammation, then Ice packs can be a big help. Please do not bring the heat or ice to direct contact to the skin to avoid tissue damage by temperature.
- Massage: Massage in the lower part of your body can help increase blood flow and give pain relief to muscles which are tense. It can greatly help in healing your back.
- Exercise: Light exercise can go a long way in improving the health of your spine. Your back will be more in tuned to your movements, which will decrease the risk of tearing a ligament or muscle drastically.
- Wear the Backrack Lumbar Support Belt.
Backrack Lumbar Belt - It's more than a lower back support belt!
Back surgery may also be considered as an option for extreme cases where chronic low back pain has not responded to more conservative treatments, or when a person’s life is in danger, such as in the case of cauda equina syndrome, or severe trauma that damaged the vertebrae, spinal column, or even the spinal cord.
