Common causes of back pain
Stress factors
The symptoms of simple back pain often occur suddenly and can be triggered by a particular movement, but the causes may have been building for some time.
Some of the most common causes of stress and strain on the spine include:
- Slouching in chairs
- Driving in hunched positions
- Standing badly
- Lifting incorrectly
- Sleeping on sagging mattresses
- Being unfit
- Generally overdoing it
Inactivity and the wrong sort of movement are usually at the root of simple back pain.
Inactivity makes the muscles go slack and weak so they are unable to support the back properly. This leaves the back more vulnerable to damage when certain movements put too much strain on one area.
Often, the problem is caused by a strain or tear to the muscles, tendons or ligaments around the lower spine. In turn, this can produce painful muscle tension and spasm.
Even a minor problem can cause a lot of pain when you stand, bend or move around. Pain sometimes comes on suddenly, sometimes gradually, but usually it only lasts a few days or up to a week.
Common risk factors of back pain
The following make work-related muscle and spine problems more likely:
- Being unfit
- Being overweight
- A job involving lifting, bending or moving heavy objects – poor lifting posture is a common cause of back problems
- Being seated in one place for long periods of time
- Frequent use of a telephone without a headset
- High levels of stress, anxiety and tension, which increase muscle tension throughout the body and the chance of a sudden sprain
Diagnosing the cause of back pain
It’s often difficult for doctors to find the exact cause of back pain that’s due to muscle or ligament damage in the lumbar area. That’s why it’s often called non-specific low back pain.
In many cases, the pain starts a day or two after an injury occurs, or the cause has been building up gradually over many years, which makes diagnosis even more difficult.
Pain is a message sent along the nerves to tell the brain something is damaging the body. The brain then sends a message to the muscles or organ to take action – for example, it tells the hand to get away from what’s burning it.
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