“My lower back is killing me,” a question many people asked others. If there is a disease, there will be its treatment. This may be caused due to a number of possible reasons which many people might not know. In this article we are going to learn its causes and how to prevent it.
Lower back killing refers to pain in the lower back, more specifically in our 5 lumbar vertebrae. This part of the back is crucial for our mobility, since the lower back supports the weight of our upper body and the forces coming from our lower body, while being constrained by our internal organs, connected to the lumbar structures. It is therefore an anatomical zone that is particularly stressed, which explains the plurality of causes of lesions.
Types of Low Back Pain
There are several types of lower back killing:
Acute low back pain, which lasts up to 1 month. Although short, it is often the most painful because it is the most intense. In this case, we often speak of the famous lumbago, the “turn of the kidneys”.
Subacute low back pain, which lasts up to 3 months, with periods of improvement and relapses.
Chronic low back pain, which, as its name suggests, sets in over time and lasts beyond 3 months.
Why my lower back is killing me: Possible reasons
Strain, strain or sprain
The muscles and ligaments of our spine are quite sensitive, and in the event of recurrent bad posture or simply bad sudden movement, there can be low back pain (and in particular acute low back pain). Repeated movements (such as bending down or turning over) are often the first causes of why my lower back is killing me: so watch out for bad habits!
Osteoarthritis, arthritis and osteoporosis
These traumas, inflammations and diseases directly influence our back (muscles, vertebrae and spine). In the cases cited, lower back pain is therefore not uncommon! Fortunately, these factors are more related to age: we can therefore consider old age as a main cause of low back pain, since more than 50% of people over 66 suffer from back problems.
Herniated disc or disc degeneration
The slippage of a vertebra can press on a nerve and cause intense pain there (often in the sciatic nerve). Hernias are often caused by poor posture or carrying heavy loads. Similarly, if the discs that separate the vertebrae wear out, we speak of disc degeneration, and the friction between the vertebrae will cause pain.
Spinal malformation
Certain conditions that deform the spine can cause lower back killing, ranging from acute to chronic low back pain.
Gynecological problem
It may seem surprising, yet certain pains related to the female reproductive system can lead to pain in this area. Outside, the lumbar is very close to the uterus: during painful periods, the painful sensation can radiate to create an intense feeling of back pain. However, the leaders are not the lower back, this time!
Inflammation, diseased organ or tumor
These are worrying terms, but they only concern so-called “nocturnal” low back pain, which refers to low back pain that lasts during the night. Normally, “mechanical” lower back killing subsides with rest. If it does not subside with time and rest, it is quite possible that it is “inflammatory”, and therefore caused by something more serious.
Stress
In long periods of stress, the body is subject to more muscle tension. However, when we contract or tense up, it is often the back that is the first to suffer! No wonder, in the long term, to have pain at this level.
Pregnancy and overweight
Pregnant women and obese people are particularly prone to lower back killing, since the extra weight they are carrying creates additional tension in the discs and muscles.
Inflammatory diseases
In certain diseases (linked in particular to the stomach, the gallbladder, the lungs or downright to the spine) can lead to lower back pain of varying degrees. Similarly, some drug treatments can create inflammation in the lower back, which will cause pain. It is therefore best to find out from your doctor if you are particularly prone to back pain, or if you are at risk of taking a drug whose side effects include low back pain.
In rare cases, low back pain may be related to a disc infection ( spondylodiscitis ), a bone tumor ( metastasis or primary tumor ) or inflammatory arthritis (such as ankylosing spondylitis ). The pain then has specific characteristics that can lead to suspicion of these diagnoses: it often has an insidious onset, it is more severe at night and is responsible for many nocturnal awakenings, it causes maximum stiffness in the morning, which improves with age. exercise (morning derusting), it responds well to anti-inflammatories. These findings associated with fever and weight loss should give rise to additional investigations.
Symptoms of “my lower back is killing me”
Low back pain is pain felt in the lower back at the level of the lumbar vertebrae. It is most of the time caused by a sudden or prolonged effort or by a posture maintained for too long. It is the most common back pain. Why my lower back is killing me can result in different symptoms:
- Sudden pain in the lower back accompanied by an intense and sudden contraction of the muscles (this is often the case following a false movement or after carrying a heavy load)
- Pain that runs down one or both legs (this may be a sign of a herniated disc and/or sciatica)
- Inflammatory lower back pain that gets worse at night (possible sign of inflammation or tumor)
- Mechanical type pain, which appears when using a joint, most often during the day
Treatment of “why my lower back is killing me”
The treatment of common lower back killing uses analgesics (paracetamol, codeine paracetamol), anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and sometimes infiltrations of cortisone derivatives. A work stoppage can be prescribed depending on the intensity of the pain but must remain very limited in time because resting for too long compromises the chances of returning to “normal life”.
Rehabilitation by physiotherapy is especially useful after the acute episode to strengthen the abdominal and back muscles to prevent recurrences.
Finally, in very rare cases, the treatment of mechanical low back pain requires a surgical procedure such as, for example, during paralyzing lumbosciatica with loss of muscle strength or in the event of a herniated disc leading to compression of a nerve root and pain resistant to well-conducted medical treatment.
When lower back killing is mild, simple measures can prevent and relieve low back pain.
A healthy lifestyle is the first step in preventing lower back killing: avoid being overweight, sleep flat on a firm mattress, do not wear heels that are too high or too low, exercise regularly (after warming up ) and focus on sports that build muscle in the back and abdomen. Some sports are particularly recommended, such as swimming (avoiding the breaststroke).
Likewise, it is important to adopt the correct posture in everyday life in order to prevent lower back killing: when you have to lift a heavy object, bend your knees and keep your back straight. At work, be sure to keep your back straight when you sit and remember to move regularly.