Your lower back plays essential roles for your health and well-being, acting as a protection for your body tissues, assistance in movement, and structural support. Some people tend to overlook their lower backs until they encounter pain, followed by questions on how this condition has developed. Everyone has definitely experienced lower back pain at some point in their lives. Minimal pain shouldn’t be a health concern. Major pain felt on the lower back, however, is.
In order to identify appropriate treatments for your lower back pain, your doctor should initially diagnose the roots of your health problem. Though the pain extremity varies, rest assured that your lower back pain will recover once you receive proper treatments.
Here are some of the most common causes of lower back pain that you might have encountered:
Aging
Arguably, the most common cause of experiencing lower back pain is because of aging. Adults to elders are more susceptible to suffering from different kinds of back pain, such as lower back pain, as human bones inevitably degenerate over time. Humans, among millions of organisms, are vertebrates – with the presence of a spinal cord. This spinal column is composed of 33 vertebrae with jelly-like small joints in between, aiding support and cushion in movement. As you age, these joints experience wear and tear causing stiffness and pain when you move.
Through aging, you’re also more vulnerable to developing bone diseases and other related disorders that will be elaborated later. Though bone degeneration is inevitable for everyone, you can prevent these symptoms at such an early age by keeping your bones strong as you age. Keep in mind that the key nutrients your bones need are calcium and vitamin D.
Tremendous Physical Activity
Overworking your body past its limit is detrimental for your bone, muscle, and tissue health. Whether you performed running, lifting, swimming, or any other physical activity with rigorous intensities, the recovery period will be painful especially for your lower back.
Excessive physical activity causes your ligaments and muscles on your lower back to stretch too much, and extended stretching can result in tearing. This explains why you experience muscle spasms, stiffness, and soreness after extreme physical activity. Some people might even experience worse lower back pain after physical activity, especially when they came from sedentary hibernation.
Poor Diet and Exercise
In little ways, your eating habits can have an effect on the condition of your lower back. Your nutrition can either make or break your lower back pain. If you’re currently under-recovery from strenuous physical activity and facing lower back pain, avoid foods that cause further inflammation. These inflammatory foods will induce muscle contractions without intervals for relaxation. Some examples of these are caffeine, sugary foods, and alcohol, which consists of high levels of cortisol that causes inflammation in your connective tissues.
Aside from certain foods, there are also eating habits and practices that can trigger your muscular system from inflammation. Eating large portions after skipping meals, frequently missing your meals, and restricting yourself to a specific diet for a long time can take a big toll on your digestive tract by putting stress and inflammation to your digestive muscles.
Exercising too much is bad for your muscles, but physical inactivity also causes the same. Having a sedentary lifestyle such as sitting all day long in front of computer screens is a big no-no for your health. If you have lower back pain due to inactivity, make it a habit to move or walk around and never lie down for some rest. This will aggravate your condition making your lower back feel weaker, stiffer, and less conditioned.
Spinal Diseases
If your lower back pain is occurring more often or not getting better, it should raise a health concern and you should immediately seek a medical expert. Among many causes of lower back pain discussed above, aging combines with these spinal diseases which you may likely acquire from not taking good care of your bone and muscle health. Usually, these spinal, bone and other related conditions are associated with degeneration of joints, discs, and muscles which doesn’t feel the same compared to when you’re younger.
However, there are special cases where you can suffer from several bone and muscle disorders not derived from aging. These health conditions can be hereditary or acquired from an improper diet and lifestyle. Some of these diseases and disorders are:
- Disc injury
- Spinal stenosis
- Lumbar Strain
- Lumbar radiculopathy
- Arthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
Conclusion
Different bodily systems work hand in hand to keep your lower back in proper form and shape. When you experience lower back pain at any point in your life, ranging from children to elders, make sure to seek medical attention and prevent negligence. Little did people know, the complexity of lower back pain is connected to a wide range of causes which can be treated easily or a worse condition that might need more serious attention.
