Lower Back Pain: Causes and Treatment

Frequent sitting, lack of exercise, uneven strain, and strenuous physical activity are the usual suspects when it comes to lower back pain. They are among the most common causes. However, organic or psychological conditions can also affect the back. Possible causes include:

• Muscle Tension: Muscle tension is widespread among the general population and is often the cause of aching and stabbing pain in the lower back. The causes include one-sided and repetitive movement patterns, as well as habitual postures such as sitting at a desk all day.
• Poor Posture: People with a swayback often suffer from lower back pain. The muscle tension and shortening caused by this poor posture are what trigger the pain.

• Excess weight: Being severely overweight places an enormous strain on the spine. Combined with a chronic lack of exercise, posture suffers under the pressure of the weight.
• Stress: Sometimes lower back pain is a sign of emotional strain. Stress at work or in your personal life, in particular, often manifests as nonspecific back pain.
• Sleeping Conditions: In many cases, the wrong mattress leads to lower back pain in the morning. Instead of waking up feeling refreshed, you struggle out of bed with a pulling and stabbing sensation in your lower back.
• Pinched nerve: One sudden, jerky movement—lifting a water jug from left to right—and suddenly a nerve in your lower back is pinched. This also often happens from lying in an awkward position for too long. However, an imbalance in muscle tension is usually already present beforehand. A trained, well-balanced back can compensate for such strains.

• Sciatica: A classic cause of lower back pain is sciatica. In this condition, the sciatic nerve is compressed by abnormal muscle tension in the gluteal-lumbar region (piriformis syndrome). This causes severe pain that radiates from the lumbar region through the buttocks and down into the leg.
• Injuries: Accidents or falls can cause injuries to the lumbar vertebrae, such as avulsions or fractures. The ligaments can also be affected.
• Lumbago: Lumbago—also known as acute lumbalgia or acute lumbar spine syndrome—is a well-known and dreaded condition. The pain suddenly shoots through the back like a stab and restricts mobility. It is caused by muscle stiffness resulting from a sudden, jerky movement when standing up or lifting something.
• Vertebral Blockages: The lumbar spine is in constant motion throughout the day. It bends forward and straightens up, rotates from right to left, and bends from side to side. A careless, jerky movement can lead to a painful blockage if a myofascial imbalance is already present.
• Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis causes bone tissue to become brittle. The strain on the spine can therefore lead to spondylolysis and vertebral fractures.
• Other Conditions: Back pain is not necessarily caused by a problem in the spine. Often, other conditions such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke, depression, shingles, pyelonephritis, pneumonia, or inflammatory joint diseases lead to back pain. It is always considered a medical emergency if shortness of breath, signs of paralysis, or a feeling of tightness in the chest are present.
• Pregnancy: The natural weight gain and physical changes during pregnancy also affect the spine. As pregnancy progresses, the pelvic region changes, and many women develop a swayback due to the weight of their abdomen.

Older adults often complain of lower back pain. In these individuals, the muscle-fascia tissue is less flexible—for example, due to a lack of water and nutrients. They have also spent many more years in poor posture and move even less, which leads to significantly more muscle tension. However, due to a predominantly sedentary lifestyle and increasing comfort, many younger people are now also affected by back pain.