6 Reasons Your Back Is Killing You

Nothing disrupts an otherwise productive day like persistent back pain. Even mundane tasks — sitting at your desk, getting groceries, playing with your dog — become difficult. The small area aching dully casts a huge shadow over your daily life. About 16 million American adults have to limit their activities because of persistent or chronic back pain.

This health issue is so prevalent that medical care costs amount to over $12 billion per year, including treatments, disability payments, and missed workdays.

The medical costs per person vary, though, as back pain can have several causes. Our back pain management studio in California has encountered some aches that stem from fatigue, while others signal a possibly serious condition. Here are six common reasons you experience back pain.

Your Back Is Strained or Tense

You’d think that lifting something won’t cause problems, but it is, in fact, one of the most common causes of back pain. If your lifting form is incorrect the work won’t be distributed among the muscles properly. Some muscles would work harder than they should, causing said muscle strain. It, in turn, leads to the pain.

You Have Bad Posture

Hunching while sitting or standing causes the back muscles to strain and eventually become painful. The blood supply is reduced and the muscles experience stiffness and weakness. Moreover, bad posture places too much load on the lower spinal discs, which can lead to disc herniation (more on this later).

Your Nerves Are Pinched

When the nerves in the spinal cord are impinged or irritated, it sends pain signals to the brain, causing the discomfort and aches.

A common culprit is the herniation of the disc between the bones in the lower back. As the spinal discs grow thinner (due to age), the jelly-like part of the disc bulges out and pushes against a nerve. Another possible reason is cervical spondylosis, where the discs shrink and pinch the nerves in the spinal cord.

Your physician can determine if the pain you experience is due to a disruption to the spinal nerves.

You Have Musculoskeletal Problems

If some bones and muscle groups don’t function properly, the spinal cord and peripheral nerves may be affected.

Take Myofascial Pain Syndrome, for instance. It’s a chronic pain disorder where pressure on sensitive points in the muscles causes pain and tenderness. In many cases, the pain radiates from a peripheral nerve. Your back pain could also be due to Fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread chronic pain and tenderness.

Infections of the spine may also cause your back pain, but these cases are uncommon.

You Sustained Injuries in an Accident

If you experience back pain after a car accident or a fall, the trauma may have caused physical problems in your back muscles and spine. You could also sustain injuries from sports that caused back pain.

The sudden acute trauma that the spinal discs or back muscles sustain causes both dull and sharp pain in the lower back. Your physician can find out the root of the problem and recommend the appropriate treatment.

You Have an Inflamed Spine or Nerves

Back pain can be attributed to simple causes like heavy lifting or bad posture. It can also be a sign of serious conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis (the inflammation of the spinal joints, causing pain and stiffness in the spine). It often starts with lower back pain, which then spreads to the entire body.

There can be a lot of reasons behind your back pain, but one thing’s for sure — it can limit your movement and stop you from making the most of your daily routine. So, Stretch Spot will help you cope with back pain and restore your vigor to live.

Get in touch today.