Back pain

Pain in the back? Causes, relief and treatments

Back pain is very common. About 85% of the population will experience disabling low back pain at least once in their lives and it can be a very unpleasant experience. The key is finding out why it occurs as well as treating it properly. Back pain means something is wrong and the causes need to be investigated immediately.

Common causes:

• Bulging or herniated discs.
• Injury or overuse of muscles, ligaments, facet joints, and sacroiliac joints.
• Muscle spasm (very tense muscles that remain contracted).
• Degeneration of the discs.
• Poor alignment or fixations of the vertebrae.
• Spondylolisthesis.
• Osteoarthritis (degeneration, wear and tear).
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).
• Small fractures to the spine from osteoporosis.
• Strain or tears to the muscles or ligaments supporting the back.

Sciatica

This literally means 'leg pain' and feels like a numbness, tingling or pain in the lower back, buttocks and back of the leg and possibly all the way down to the toes. It's caused by back problems putting pressure on the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back all the way down through the back of the leg.

Neck pain and headaches

A poor posture leads to stress or imbalances and tension in the neck and around the shoulders. This causes muscles to work harder and can eventually create neck pain and tension headaches.