Back pain is a common problem and most of us will have suffered it at some point in our lives.
Back pain causes stiffness and ache in the back and is experienced most commonly as lower back pain affecting the lower half of the spine, and less frequently as upper back pain which affects the neck and shoulders.
In this page we will discuss the main causes of back pain, the main risk factors and the ways that you can prevent back pain occurring.
For most people the cause of back pain is rarely down to a serious underlying health problem.
Pain arises from the spine (or vertebral column), a complex structure made up of 33 individual vertebrae interconnected by intervertebral discs and other tissue structures.
As we get older, this system linking each vertebra gets worn down by the wear and tear of movement and this is what causes back pain for most of us. This accounts for the observation that back pain occurs more frequently in the middle aged and elderly members of the population. In fact, apart from muscular injury, the degradation of the vertebral column is the most common underlying cause of back pain.
However, in rare circumstances, a serious underlying condition may be the cause of back pain. These may include:
In very much rarer circumstances, back pain may also be caused by an infection or cancer.
Back pain can be triggered by a number of different factors. Often these occur while simply performing everyday activities which would normally be undertaken without incident.
Pain can come on gradually over time, perhaps as a result of repetitive strain injuries or bad posture. Some of the main triggers for back pain are:
Occasionally pain occurs without a known trigger. This occurs most often in the mornings when, upon waking, a person may find themselves in pain.
For most people there is no physiological or genetic predisposition to back pain, although from time to time, back pain is seen to run in families.
Whatever the cause of back pain, there are a number of lifestyle factors which will increase an individual’s chance of developing the condition. Some of these risk factors are:
The main way to prevent back pain is to reduce the risk factors for the condition by ensuring you have an active lifestyle, are not overweight and keep stress levels to a minimum.
Further reading:
Back pain
Back pain symptoms
Lower back pain
Upper back pain
Lumbago
Back pain exercises
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