Published on: October 21, 2024 | Updated on: October 26, 2024
Your lower back spans from the bottom of the ribcage to the top of the legs. A surprising 619 million people globally suffer from lower back pain, which makes up 10% of the population. By 2025, this number is expected to reach 843 million.
This excruciating pain may make you wonder, “Why does my lower back hurt?” The lower back supports the entire weight of the upper body through numerous moving parts, such as the vertebrae, disks, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
Numerous factors, such as injuries, lifestyle, or mechanical problems, can cause lower back pain. Learning about its causes and symptoms can help you better manage the condition.
What Is Lower Back Pain?
Vertebrae are the bones of your spine. Lower back pain affects the lumbar region vertebrae of the spine, which are the five largest vertebrae in your body. These structures have intervertebral discs between each vertebra, acting as cushions.
Other complex structures, such as muscles, tendons, nerves, and ligaments, also work together to provide maximum support to the back.
An injury to any of these vital structures can cause lower back pain. However, our lower back is also at the mercy of bad postures and lifestyle habits.
Lower back pain can also restrict movement since our back supports the body’s weight.
What Are the Symptoms of Lower Back Pain?
Lower back pain can cause a combination of symptoms. Here are some common symptoms.
- Constant radiating pain in the back
- Sudden jolting pain
- Pain that radiates down the back of your leg
- Pain when sitting for long periods
- Pain when lifting something heavy
- Pain after moving your body, such as bending, twisting, or crouching
- Stiffness in the back
- Numbness
- Lack of bowel control
- Difficulty straightening your back
- Muscle spasms in the lower back
Common Causes of Lower Back Pain
Why does my lower back hurt? You may ask yourself this question due to unbearable pain. Let’s investigate some possible causes, including underlying health issues, to determine the exact cause.
1. Mechanical Problems
The lower back supports the entirety of your body weight, acts as a center of balance, and serves as a point of attachment for many other muscles and ligaments.
An issue with any of these structures could cause mechanical problems that restrict movement and cause lower back pain. Some common mechanical problems include the following.
Muscle Strain or Spasm
A muscle strain is a soft tissue injury, while a spasm is a painful contraction of the muscles. This classifies as a mechanical problem because it results from abnormal movement, such as improperly lifting a heavy object, twisting your back, or bending over.
Injuring the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your lower back can cause pain and inflammation and restrict body movement.
Herniated Discs
A herniated disc is an intervertebral disc injury. Discs sit between each vertebra in our spine and act as a cushion for shock absorption.
Any trauma or strain to this intervertebral disc causes back pain. Therefore, herniated discs are a leading cause of lower back pain.
The soft-gel-like center of the disc has a firm outer layer. When this inner gel-like substance pushes through the crack, the leaked material presses on the surrounding spinal nerves, causing numbness and back pain.
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
When we age, our bodies do not produce sufficient collagen, a jelly-like substance vital for hydration and elasticity.
When the intervertebral disc loses its hydration, it cannot provide the cushioning effect to the bones in our back. This condition is called degenerative disc disease (DDD), a major cause of chronic lower back pain.
According to the studies, DDD affects about 40% of the people aged 40 and 80% of the people aged 80 or above.
2. Injuries
An injury to the lower back can make your back hurt. The symptoms may range from mild to severe, depending on the injury and the structures it affects. Common lower back injuries include the following.
Fractures
Any trauma to the lower back can fracture the bones. Most spinal fractures result in spinal instability, restricting movement.
If you experienced a fall, accident, or sports injury that left you thinking, why does my lower back hurt? A minor fracture could likely be the culprit.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are trauma to the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in the lower back. Overstretching or tearing any of the soft tissues in your back causes lower back pain.
3. Lifestyle Factors
Let’s be realistic when it comes to lifestyle factors. Most of us have experienced some sort of backache due to poor posture. From sitting in one place with poor posture to lying down improperly, any of these habits can result in lower back pain.
According to the European Spine Journal, office workers who spend long hours sitting at work are more likely to develop lower back pain. This pain isn’t due to sitting; in fact, it is from poor posture.
Other lifestyle factors causing lower back pain are the following.
- Obesity
- Lack of exercise
- Slouching
- Lifting heavy objects
- Smoking
- Wearing heels
- Carrying a heavy backpack
- Powerlifting
4. Underlying Medical Conditions
Underlying medical conditions such as the following can cause lower back pain.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (joint pain and stiffness)
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine)
- Sciatica (radiating sciatic nerve pain)
- Osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones)
- Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)
- Kidney stones (sharp pain caused by stones moving in the urinary tract)
- Fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain and tenderness)
Types of Lower Back Pain
Short-term back pain can last from a few days to a few weeks. This is called acute lower back pain.
If the pain lasts for three months or more, it’s called chronic pain and needs long-term medical attention.
Mechanical lower back pain refers to a problem restricting your movement. This affects the discs, vertebrae, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
Another name for lower back pain is lumbago. This refers to the lumbar region (lower back) of your spine.
Managing Lower Back Pain
If your lower back hurts, identify the underlying cause to treat and manage your condition more effectively.
- Engage in regular physical activity
- Try core and back strengthening exercises
- Maintain proper posture
- Invest in an ergonomic chair
- Manage weight
- Stay active
- Avoid long periods of inactivity to keep your spine flexible
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as NSAIDs
- Perform simple activities like stretching
If your lower back pain persists, consult a medical professional. When you experience restricted movement, radiating pain, or trouble standing up straight, seek help immediately.
Your treatment options would include physiotherapy, medications, or surgery to manage chronic pain.
Wrap Up
A stiffened back, chronic pain, and limited movement can impact quality of life. Focus on preventive measures to reduce the risk of backache.
Millions of individuals experience lower back pain. Remember that you don’t have to struggle through the pain, as neglecting it could worsen the condition.
Consult a healthcare provider if your pain does not go away. Several medical treatments will relieve back pain, helping you improve your quality of life.
Sources
Footnotes
- Maher CG, Underwood M, Buchbinder R. The global epidemic of low back pain. The Lancet Rheumatology. 2023;5(6)
- Lis AM, Black KM, Korn H, Nordin M. Association between sitting and occupational LBP. Eur Spine J. 2007;16(2):283-298. Published online 2006 May 31.
- Sarmast AH, Kirmani AR, Bhat AR. Osteoporosis presenting as low backache: An entity not uncommon to be missed. Asian J Neurosurg. 2018;13(3):693-696.
- Chou R, Wagner J, Ahmed AY, et al. Treatments for acute pain: A systematic review. Comparative Effectiveness Review, No. 240. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2020.
References
- Understanding Lower Back Anatomy. Spine-health. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Lumbar Spine. Cleveland Clinic. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Lumbar Stabilization. National Library of Medicine. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Sprains, Strains, and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries. OrthoInfo. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Herniated Disk (Slipped, Ruptured or Bulging Disk). Cleveland Clinic. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Mechanical Back Strain. National Library of Medicine. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Rheumatoid arthritis and back pain: Symptoms, treatment, and management. Medical News Today. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Spinal Stenosis. Mayo Clinic. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Sciatica. Penn Medicine. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Does scoliosis cause back pain? Medical News Today. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- 10 Signs Your Back Pain Could Be a Kidney Stone. Keck Medicine. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Fibromyalgia Back Pain. Healthline. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- Low Back Pain. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- What is Lumbago? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options. The Advanced Spine Center. Accessed 08/31/2024.
- What Helps with Lower Back Pain. WebMD. Accessed 08/31/2024.
CELLAXYS does not offer Stem Cell Therapy as a cure for any medical condition. No statements or treatments presented by Cellaxys have been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This site contains no medical advice. All statements and opinions are provided for educational and informational purposes only.
Dr Pejman Bady
Author
Dr. Pejman Bady began his career over 20 years ago in Family/Emergency Medicine, working in fast-paced emergency departments in Nevada and Kansas. He has served the people of Las Vegas as a physician for over two decades. Throughout this time, he has been met with much acclaim and is now the head of Emergency Medical Services in Nye County, Nevada. More about the doctor on this page.
Dr Pouya Mohajer
Contributor
Pouya Mohajer, M.D. is the Director of Spine and Interventional Medicine for CELLAXYS: Age, Regenerative, and Interventional Medicine Centers. He has over 20 years of experience in pain management, perioperative medicine, and anesthesiology. Dr. Mohajer founded and is the Medical Director of Southern Nevada Pain Specialists and PRIMMED Clinics. He has dedicated his career to surgical innovation and scientific advancement. More about the doctor on this page.