Low Back Pain
Low back pain refers to pain or discomfort in the lower back.
What is going on in the body?
Low back pain may involve the muscles, joints, or nerves of the lower back. It may also be referred pain, which means the pain is actually coming from another organ, such as the kidneys.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
Low back pain may be caused by a number of spinal disorders. Following are some common causes:
fibromyalgia, a condition that causes trigger points in body tissues, including the low back
osteomyelitis, or bone infection
ruptured disks, which involve the soft disks between the vertebrae of the spine
spinal degeneration, which may involve arthritis
spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the disk spaces with aging
sprains or strains of the muscles and other soft tissue in the back
tumors of the spine
A person with disorders of certain body organs may experience referred pain in the low back. These disorders include:
aneurysms
appendicitis
kidney disease
ovarian disorders
pelvic inflammatory disease, and other infections in the pelvic area
urinary tract infection
Following are risk factors that increase a person's risk for low back pain:
activities, such as driving a car, that pass vibrations along the spine
lack of physical activity
obesity
old age
smoking
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