The Many Causes Of Back Pain

By Usman Shahid

Back pain is a condition that affects many people. The severity can vary from subtle and temporary to sustained and long lasting and since there are many causes of this type of pain it is often hard to treat. The problem with back pain is that it doesn't only affect the spinal area; it can also affect other parts of the body due to this being the core area of the body. For instance, if a nerve is pinched, it can affect the legs and arms as well and if your back is hurting, you might favor one side and this can cause problems in other areas of your body.

So, what are the causes of back pain?

Sprains and strains can occur when one's spinal area is out of shape, due to overexertion or to pre-existing problems. Sprains are joint injuries that entail a stretching or tearing of ligaments. Stretching too fast can also result in this injury. Using excessive force or overt repetition can also damage one's muscles.

Another type of problem involves the discs that cushion one's vertebrae. These can dry and harden, making the discs more easily injured. Sometimes these discs will either bulge, result in a hernia, or they can even rupture. Many disc problems occur from trying to lift items that are too heavy for one to bear.

Another one of the causes of back pain is muscle imbalance and bad posture occurs when muscles have lost their functioning ability from over- or under-using. Stress and habits that occur for any lengthened amount of time can cause this. These two products of a bad back work together to result in sustained lower back pain and other bodily aches.

There are also emotional causes. Being overly stressed or traumatized emotionally causes tension in the muscles, and this can be held onto without the individual even knowing it. This is probably the number one cause of back pain and, as you can imagine, is very hard to pinpoint.

Back pain is not always caused by stress or something that the individual has physically done and some causes of back pain can be due to physical problems beyond your control. Sometimes it can have to do with the structural integrity of his or her body. For instance, scoliosis and kyphosis are curvatures of the spine that can result in pain that can leave a person feeling debilitated. Scoliosis involves a sideways curve of the individual's spine, and kyphosis is the technical term for hunchback, which is an outwardly curve of the upper to middle spinal area.

Diseases can also affect one's performance. Diseases affecting the spine can be arthritis, sciatica, and ankylosing spondylitis which can lead to the possible fusing of vertebrae. Arthritis involves the cartilage of one's body breaking down. Osteoporosis is similar to this in that the bones take on the same type of fight as in arthritis, only this affects one bones, not cartilage. Sciatica is a very painfully debilitating disease, which involves the pinching of the sciatic nerve. This can be caused by the bulging or protruding of a disc.

Your back is an integral part of your body and it's clear that taking care of the core of one's body can help keep your back strong which works to minimize many of the causes of back pain. Making sure that you do the proper exercises and take care not to strain your back will work wonders at keeping it healthy and pain free.

If you want to get rid of lower back pain then visit freeyourbackpain.com and get free tips related to back pain relief. There are a lot of useful low back pain exercises mentioned on the website which you can perform at your home.

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Posted in: Back Pain