Back Pain Causes - How To Identify Them For The Right Treatment

What causes back pain? Simply due to the fact that all back pain is different, whether acute or chronic, meaning sudden or long-lasting, there are many culprits behind back pain. It is such a common ailment that it is second only to the common cold. What causes most back pain is muscle strain, trauma, and poor body mechanics such as posture. Rarely, most health studies show about 10 percent, can back pain causesbe traced to much more serious conditions such as spinal deformity or other such diseases and systemic illnesses.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, the pain can either be localized to a specific area or it can spread over a wider area and radiate from a central point. Causes can be as simple as stress from work and they can be as complicated as the result of nerve damage, so it is always important to seek a doctor if your symptoms are persistent, just to be on the safe side.
Although back pain causes can be as simple as stress and can conceivably go away once the stressful event has been overcome, much more serious causes can be the culprit, hence, medical advice is always best received from doctors. For example, the pain can be caused by a herniated disc which basically means that one of your inter-vertebral discs have ruptured. The pain could also be caused by an inter-vertebral disc which is not herniated but is somehow damaged, this is referred to as discogenic back pain.

In addition to herniated and damaged inter-vetabral discs, adjacent discs can also slip in a condition called spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is caused by degenerative changes that can cause a loss of normal stabilizing structures of the spinal column. Once the spine reaches a tipping point in its instability, this can also cause back problems. Then there are the back problems caused by age, such as spinal stenosis.

As the bones get older, the spinal canal can also become constricted, or overly tight, due to other conditions such as arthritis. An overly tight spinal cord can also cause back problems.
Moreover, a common disease that also arises with old age is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become more porous and brittle due to alack of calcium in the bones, causing the bones to become more easily subjected to fractures which can also cause back problems.

Then of course there are the back problems caused by injuries or over exertion. This type of pain is referred to medically as mechanical, due to the fact that the pain is caused by abnormal or exorbitant stretching of muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the back. Such exertion and unusual movement can also cause nerves to become pinched between discs, another cause for back pain.

Other actions such as lifting a heavy box or large piece of furniture the wrong way can lead to back pain causes. As there are a myriad of different types of back problems and just as many causes, it is always a good idea to seek medical help when you are unsure of how to deal with any health issues.