Your lumbar spine works hard all day long, whether you realize it or not. Acute injuries, like those sustained in a fall, while carrying something too heavy, or while playing sports, are not out of the question amongst all this activity and motion and can lead to a sprain or strain in the lower back. Over time, a sprain or strain might manifest itself as a result of overuse or improper positioning.
If you are suffering from lower back pain Northern Virginia, your doctor can advise you on the best course of self-care to take.
Common triggers for persistent discomfort in the lower back:
Problems with the lumbar disks, nerves, joints, or vertebrae are more prevalent than muscle and ligament injuries to produce chronic lower back pain. Several factors may contribute to ongoing discomfort in the lower back.
- Disk herniation
When the soft inner gel of one of the five disks in your lumbar spine pushes through, and onto the surrounding nerves, this is known as a herniated lumbar disk. Traumatic injury or age-related wear and tear are both possible causes of slippage.
- Ache in the facet joints
Large amounts of compressive force and stress are placed on the facet joints, which link the five vertebrae in the lower back. Damage to the cartilage in your facet joints is a common cause of chronic back pain. Damage to the facet joints, which can be caused by osteoarthritis, can result in inflammation, stiffness, muscle spasms, and discomfort.
- Fracture under pressure
When a vertebra in your lumbar spine collapses in on itself, the result is a spinal compression fracture. This collapse can cause extreme pain, and people who have suffered a lumbar compression fracture typically experience immediate discomfort and limited spinal motion.
- Spinal stenosis
When the spinal canal in your lower back narrows, putting pressure on the nerve roots there, you have lumbar spinal stenosis. Bone spurs, ligament thickening, lumbar disk, and joint degeneration are potential causes.
- Spondylolisthesis
The lumbar disk is subjected to significant compression if a lumbar vertebra slides forward over the top of the vertebra below. Deterioration of the lumbar disk is a potential source of low back pain. In addition, this pressure can cause sciatica and radiculopathy if it causes the lumbar disk to flatten.
- Scoliosis
When viewed from the side, your spine has a natural ‘S’ curve, with your upper back bending inward and your lower back bending forward. However, scoliosis is a spinal abnormality that causes pain in the back and sideways curvature of the spine when viewed from behind.
