Severe Lower Back Pain

Severe lower back pain, what is it, what causes it and how is it managed. Low back pain may be defined as pain felt in your lower back. You may also suffer back stiffness, decreased movement of the lower back, and difficulty standing straight. The initial step to understanding the many causes of lower back pain is to know the normal design or anatomy of this area. Acute back pain may last for a few days to a few weeks.

Severe lower back pain may be caused by the build-up of the lower back in relation to symptoms. This could include the bony lumbar spine (vertebrae, singular = vertebra), discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and the skin covering the lumbar area.

Most people will suffer at least one severe lower back pain in their life. While such pain or discomfort can happen anywhere in your back, the most common area affected is your low back. The simple reason is because the lower back supports most of our body’s weight. A majority of back-related injuries occur at work. But there are many things you can do to change that and lower your chances of getting back pain.

For example, we oftentimes feel back pain initially just after lifting a heavy object, moving suddenly, staying seated in a position for a long time, or after an injury or accident. Before that injury or accident though, the structures in your back may have been losing strength or changing.

Acute or severe lower back pain is usually caused by a sudden injury to the muscles and ligaments supporting the back. The pain may be caused by muscle spasms or a strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments.

Some common causes of lower back pain are lumbar strain, nerve irritation, and conditions of the bone and joints compression. Other causes are fractures to the spine due to osteoporosis, cancer involving the spinal cord, fracture of the spinal cord, muscle spasm, ruptured or herniated disk; spine curvatures, like scoliosis; arthritis conditions, such as osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Infection of the spine, kidney infection or kidney stones; pregnancy or medical conditions that affect the female reproductive organs, including endometriosis, ovarian cysts/cancer or uterine fibroids are some of the other causes of severe lower back pain.

In managing Severe lower back pain, try to consult a health care provider, you would be asked about your back pain, also how often it occurs and its severity. Your health care provider will try to pinpoint the cause and if it is likely to quickly get better with simple treatments such as ice, mild painkillers, physical therapy, and proper exercises.

Oftentimes, the back pain will get better using these approaches. Most people with severe lower back pain improve or recover in 28 – 42 days. Therefore, your health care provider may not order any tests during the first visit unless certain symptoms or findings are present. These tests may include an x-ray, CT scan of the lower spine, or MRI of the lower spine.

First-aid treatment for swift recovery from severe lower back pains would initially start with stoppage of normal physical activity for the first few days, as this would help calm your symptoms and reduce any swelling in the area of the pain. Apply heat or ice to the painful area. A good method is to use ice for the first 2 – 3 days, then use heat. Take o-t-c pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. And while in bed, try sleeping in a curled-up or fetal position with a pillow between your legs, if you usually sleep on your back, it is best to place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees to relieve pressure. An erroneous common belief is that you need to rest and avoid activity for a long time. In fact, bed rest is not recommended for severe lower back pain. You need to rest your back you must also work out, do some stretches and exercise to strengthen and ease the pressure on your lower back.

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