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Common Underlying Causes of Back Pain

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The key to effectively treating back pain is to identify accurately its underlying cause in the first instance. A patient should not delay in obtaining a thorough evaluation to identify the cause of back pain.

Strains and Sprains

A couple of the most common causes of back pain are strains and sprains. These conditions commonly arise from lack or regular exercise, poor posture, and improper lifting. Being overweight or obese can also increase the risk of a person sustaining a back strain or sprain.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc occurs when something goes awry with the rubbery cushions that exist between the bones in a person’s spine. A disc can slip or rupture which results in a painful situation. A person needs to keep in mind that the pain may not just exhibit at the back. Rather, a herniated disc can cause pain at a person’s arm, leg, buttocks, thigh, or calf, depending on where the herniated disc is located.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is also a relatively common cause of back pain. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. The condition can impact any joint in a person’s body. However, osteoarthritis most commonly affects a person’s hands, knees, hips, or the spine.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Although less common than osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis can also result in back pain in some cases. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder which results in a person’s immune system attacking that individual’s own bodily tissues.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that results in chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain. A person diagnosed with this condition can end up experiencing significant back pain. At the present time, there is no cure for fibromyalgia. With that said, the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be treated, at least to some degree. This includes treatment to lessen back pain associated with the condition.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis involves a narrowing of the spaces within a person’s spine. This results on pressure being placed on the spinal cord, resulting in pain. More often than not, a person with spinal stenosis experiences pain in the next and or the lower back. Spinal stenosis is not a condition that can be trivialized. If a person is not treated for the condition, incontinence and even paralysis can be the ultimate outcome of spinal stenosis in some cases.

If you experience back pain that doesn’t abate in a short amount of time, or comes on suddenly and for no discernible reason, you need to seek medical attention. If you’ve been involved in some sort of accident that results in back pain, you need to seek prompt professional attention.

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