Statistics show that back pain is among the common medical issues worldwide, affecting at least 80% of people at a certain point in their lifetime. It’s also among the leading factors that make people go to a doctor. Sometimes it becomes impossible to prevent back pain, especially during old age because your back will have lost some of its strength and resilient nature. Luckily, there are various ways to help you get relief despite the causing factor of your pain.

The type of back pain you experience can be classified as either acute, chronic, or sub-acute. When an individual suffers acute episodes, the pain may last for some few days up to four weeks. If it exceeds four weeks and prolongs up to the 12th week, then it is categorized as sub-acute. According to a study done by the National Institutes of Health, 20% of persons with acute back-pain will develop chronic back-pain.

Although back pain is an inconvenience to most people, it rarely signifies an urgent health issue and will resolve itself without treatment unless there is a serious underlying problem. If you ever experience severe back pain after an incident like falling or any accident, visit an emergency room near you for emergency care services. Express ER in Abilene, Texas, is an ER near me that offers emergency services.

What Causes Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain causes are sometimes said to be idiopathic, organic, or mechanical. In some cases, the spinal issues begin at birth while in others, the disorder is acquired later in one’s life.

• Idiopathic – The cause is unknown
• Organic – The lower-back pain develops due to illnesses like spinal cancer
• Mechanical – This is back pain triggered by movements of the spine and often involves the structures of the spine such as intervertebral discs, soft tissues, muscles, ligaments, facet joints, and the vertebral bodies.

Some common lower-back pain causes are:

1. Strainsandsprains – The ligaments and muscles found in your back can tear or stretch when excess activity occurs or when they get overused.
2. Herniateddiscs – The protective cover encasing your intervertebral discs become prone to tearing, and when it happens, the inner soft disc tissue can sometimes push through its outer layer. A herniated slipped, or bulging disc refers to a disc which has slipped or bulged out of its place. When herniation occurs, it may press the nerve roots causing symptoms like pain, numbness, weakness, or a tingling sensation around the body area served by the affected nerve.
3. Degenerativediscillness – Although the name may sound worrisome to most people, it simply means that the individual diagnosed with this disease has a disc that’s damaged and is the reason behind the pain that person is feeling.
4. Spinalstenosis – It is the narrowing or shrinking of the spaces inside the spine. The major factors leading to this condition are bone spurs as a result of spinal osteoarthritis or herniated discs.
5. Sciatica – This refers to the pain that arises when the sciatic nerve gets irritated or pinched. You will hear doctors referring to sciatica as lumbar radiculopathy.
6. Spondylolisthesis – It occurs when an individual’s vertebra slides out of its normal position interfering with the whole spine alignment. This happens mostly around the lumbar vertebrae, but there is a possibility it can affect any part of your spine. Fractured vertebra or disc degeneration isoften responsible for this slippage.

Back Pain Locations

• Lower back pain on the left side above the buttocks
• Lower back pain radiating to the lower abdomen

Sometimes, lower back pain and abdominal cramps can happen at the same time.

Home Treatment Tips

Unless one has suffered a severe injury like a car accident or a fall, an individual doesn’t have to go to a doctor when they have back pain. Here are some self-care strategies you can first try:

• Use heat or ice – Many people with back pain have confessed that using cold packs or ice for about 20 minutes helps lower pain levels and reduce swelling.
• Say no to bedrest – When you are experiencing lower back pain, avoid retreating to bed. Clinical studies revealed that people who go to bed experience more pain than those who stay fairly active.
• Try over-the-counter medications – Taking over-the-counter pain killers may help ease back pain. If it doesn’t, visit a relevant professional for further guidance.