The causes of lower back pain are almost too numerous to mention. We already know that back pain sufferers are members of an enormous, if reluctant, club of people of every age, gender, profession, color, and creed. If a back pain experience can be considered a club meeting, a rare few of us attend just once in our lives; most of us meet on an irregular but recurrent basis; and a few of us live in the clubhouse full-time.
A look at the anatomical components that comprise the back is our first step in learning what can go wrong to cause back pain and understanding why the pain can't even be counted upon to confine itself to the part of our bodies in which it originates. In this article we'll take a brief look at some of the more common, if elusive, causes of back pain and explore some of the ways in which health care professionals try to track it down.
Common Causes of Pain: The Short Answer
If you are the kind of person who cannot rest without knowing the answer, prepare for a long, sleepless night. Even with all the wonders of modem medical technology, the exact reason for or cause of back pain most often goes undetected. In a large majority of cases it falls into the category of what's called non-specified back pain, which, happily, heals itself although an anatomical explanation may never be found.
A look at the anatomical components that comprise the back is our first step in learning what can go wrong to cause back pain and understanding why the pain can't even be counted upon to confine itself to the part of our bodies in which it originates. In this article we'll take a brief look at some of the more common, if elusive, causes of back pain and explore some of the ways in which health care professionals try to track it down.
Common Causes of Pain: The Short Answer
If you are the kind of person who cannot rest without knowing the answer, prepare for a long, sleepless night. Even with all the wonders of modem medical technology, the exact reason for or cause of back pain most often goes undetected. In a large majority of cases it falls into the category of what's called non-specified back pain, which, happily, heals itself although an anatomical explanation may never be found.
Let's briefly review the anatomy of your back: The spine is made up of bones called vertebrae, stacked atop each other to form a column, with cushioning disks between them. Ligaments hold the vertebrae together, and muscles, allowing movement, are attached to the vertebrae by bands of tissue called tendons. Openings in the vertebrae line up to form a long hollow canal that houses the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the brain to about two-thirds of the way down the spine. Nerves branch out from the spinal cord, emerging from spaces between the vertebrae.
The pain can hide in any one of these many parts. And more. That's a lot of parts. And, just as bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are inter-connected to help each other, a problem in one area can cause pain in another.
In most events, it is believed that the anguish originates in weakness in or damage to the spine's many support structures - muscles, ligaments, and joints - which, once they are compromised, can weaken or result in damage to other structures, including disks, nerves, and the vertebrae themselves.
The initial weakness or damage can itself be blamed on everything from a sedentary lifestyle to poor posture or nutrition to the aging process to disease. In turn, any or all of these factors and others can leave us more susceptible to physical injury, another common cause of pain.
