Lower Back Pain

Wikipedia Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain effects so many people. The intensity of the pain from lower back problems can range from a slight annoyance to debilitating chronic pain.
It is my belief that the sooner the person recognizes this problem and quickly acts to do something about it, the sooner and easier the lower back pain can be resolved.

Whiplash Symtoms

Many people have lower back pain that originated from either on the job, a sports injury or an auto accident, thereby causing whiplash symptoms. Unfortunately, symptoms from whiplash can continue for many years and even decades, if the proper remedy isn’t exercised. As unattended whiplash symptoms resolve themselves quietly, they may appear years later as pain in other areas of the body, because of the bodies connection in myofascial tissue.

The following are excerpts from an article on low back pain which can be found in the en.wikipedia.org.

Low back pain

Low back pain or lumbago ( /lʌmˈbeɪɡoʊ/) is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is more common.[1] It can be either acute, subacute or chronic in duration. With conservative measures, the symptoms of low back pain typically show significant improvement within a few weeks from onset.

Classification

Lower back pain may be classified by the duration of symptoms as acute (less than 4 weeks), sub acute (4–12 weeks), chronic (more than 12 weeks).

Lower back pain can be symptoms of whiplash

Cause

The majority of lower back pain stems from benign musculoskeletal problems, and are referred to as non specific low back pain; this type may be due to muscle or soft tissues sprain or strain,[3] particularly in instances where pain arose suddenly during physical loading of the back, with the pain lateral to the spine. Over 99% of back pain instances fall within this category.[4] The full differential diagnosis includes many other less common conditions.

Mechanical:

Apophyseal osteoarthritis
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
Degenerative discs
Scheuermann’s kyphosis
Spinal disc herniation (“slipped disc”)
Thoracic or lumbar spinal stenosis
Spondylolisthesis and other congenital abnormalities
Fractures
Leg length difference
Restricted hip motion
Misaligned pelvis – pelvic obliquity, anteversion or retroversion
Abnormal Foot Pronation
Inflammatory:
Seronegative spondylarthritides (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Infection – epidural abscess or osteomyelitis
Neoplastic:
Bone tumors (primary or metastatic)
Intradural spinal tumors
Metabolic:
Osteoporotic fractures
Osteomalacia
Ochronosis
Chondrocalcinosis
Psychosomatic
Tension myositis syndrome
Paget’s disease
Referred pain:
Pelvic/abdominal disease
Prostate Cancer
Posture
Depression[5]
Oxygen deprivation

Pathophysiology

The lumbar region in regards to the rest of the spine.
The lumbar region (or lower back region) is made up of five vertebrae (L1-L5). In between these vertebrae lie fibrocartilage discs (intervertebral discs), which act as cushions, preventing the vertebrae from rubbing together while at the same time protecting the spinal cord. Nerves stem from the spinal cord through foramina within the vertebrae, providing muscles with sensations and motor associated messages. Stability of the spine is provided through ligaments and muscles of the back, lower back and abdomen. Small joints which prevent, as well as direct, motion of the spine are called facet joints (zygapophysial joints).[6]

Causes of lower back pain are varied. Most cases are believed to be due to a sprain or strain in the muscles and soft tissues of the back.[3] Overactivity of the muscles of the back can lead to an injured or torn ligament in the back which in turn leads to pain. An injury can also occur to one of the intervertebral discs (disc tear, disc herniation). Due to aging, discs begin to diminish and shrink in size, resulting in vertebrae and facet joints rubbing against one another. Ligament and joint functionality also diminishes as one ages, leading to spondylolisthesis, which causes the vertebrae to move much more than they should. Pain is also generated through lumbar spinal stenosis, sciatica and scoliosis. At the lowest end of the spine, some patients may have tailbone pain (also called coccyx pain or coccydynia). Others may have pain from their sacroiliac joint, where the spinal column attaches to the pelvis, called sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Physical causes may include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae or a spinal disc herniation, a vertebral fracture (such as from osteoporosis), or rarely, an infection or tumor.

In the vast majority of cases, no noteworthy or serious cause is ever identified. If the pain resolves after a few weeks, intensive testing is not indicated

Red flags

Recent significant trauma
Milder trauma if age is greater than 50 years
Unexplained weight loss
Unexplained fever
Immunosuppression
Previous or current cancer
Intravenous drug use
Osteoporosis
Chronic corticosteroid use
Age greater than 70 years
Focal neurological deficit
Duration greater than 6 weeks[12]

Management of Low Back Pain

Prevention

Exercise is effective in preventing recurrence of non-acute pain, and has shown mixed results in the treatment of acute episodes.[13] Proper lifting techniques are prophylactic.[14]
Cigarette smoking impacts the success and proper healing of spinal fusion surgery in patients who undergo cervical fusion; rates of nonunion are significantly greater for smokers than for nonsmokers.[15] Smoke and nicotine accelerate spine deterioration, reduce blood flow to the lower spine, and cause discs to degenerate, resulting in lower back pain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_back_pain

Recommended Reading

• Lower Back Pain in Sunnyvale, California
• http://lower-back-pain.co/uncategorized/lower-back-pain-sacramento-california/
• Groin Pain