Back pain can be the result of a lot of factors. It could be from stress, trauma, injury, age and from other kinds of causes. As a person gets older, the spine encounters a lot of problems – the integrity of the bones are weakened, the back muscles lose their elasticity and tone and the fluids that lubricate the spinal disc are slowly reduced leading to friction between the disc and the spinal cord itself lessening flexibility and causing pain. Listed below are the common leading causes of back pain.
Injury or trauma to the back – Any injury in your back can cause the development of scar tissue in your back muscles. This scar can get worse and become larger when the person incurs repeated injuries. The scar weakens the back muscles which can cause a number of conditions including back pain.
Menstrual period or pregnancy – One of the common symptoms of menstruation is back pain. Cramping and back pain often occurs during pregnancy since the growing and swollen stomach gradually puts more stress to the back muscles and the spine.
Disc damage – The spinal fluid serves as a lubricant and a cushion between the vertebral discs in the spine. Decrease of this fluid as one gets older causes friction between the discs and causes back pain which is often severe.
Poor seating posture – Long periods of seating in an uncushioned or hard chair or surface can lead to back pain. Proper ergonomics can help a person seat properly and seat comfortably for long periods of time.
Obesity – Excessive weight and obesity add to the strain and stress to the spinal cord and the back muscles. The way to remedy this type of back pain is to lose weight.
Bad sleeping posture – Add to the bad sleep posture, wrong pillows and mattresses can contribute not only to back pain but also to neck pain and headache.
Osteoporosis – This is a musculoskeletal condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle which can result in compression fractures in the vertebral spine and back pain. Just a little stress or strain can cause a fracture.
Ankylosing spondylitis – A health problem that affects the spine. It causes inflammation and stiffness of the spine and back pain.
Arthritis – This health condition is one of the most common causes of back pain. It also is a type of chronic back pain among adults. Arthritis pain can affect any region in the back and flares up at night or when the person walks. Osteoarthritis occurs when a joint cartilage gets damaged. Rheumatoid arthritis is the thickening and swelling of the joints of the bone causing back pain.