What Causes Back Pain?
By Andy Park DC,
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Specialist.
What Causes Back Pain?
Why Does my Back Hurt?
Why does my back hurt? I don't need to know who you are or what you have been doing. I can tell you the answer to the questions is… are you ready for it? Everything. I know that feels kind of like a non-answer and in some ways it is. But the point is that back pain is not one dimensional. It is very much multifactorial. And I cannot emphasize this enough. I've had at least three patients come in this week asking for one singular explanation or cause of their back pain. I have had to say to them,
“well, there are lots of factors, what is the quality of your sleep? What is your sleep position? What kind of exercise do you get in throughout your day to day or throughout your week? What is your injury history? What sports have you played? What is your work? How often do you get to stand up? How often do you get to exercise? How do you stand? Do you have kids? Do you pick up your kids?”
There are many factors that tie into why you might be feeling back pain. It's extremely reductive and not actually helpful to say: “it's your shoes or it's your posture.” Those might be facets in the larger picture, but it's really hard to say with confidence that your back pain is caused by one specific thing. With that said however, here are some potential causes and elements that might be in part contributing to your back pain and again emphasizing that your issue is very likely not due to just one of these factors.
Muscle or ligament strain: Repeated heavy lifting or a sudden awkward movement can strain back muscles and spinal ligaments.
Bulging or ruptured disks: Disks act as cushions between the bones (vertebrae) in your spine. The soft material inside a disk can bulge or rupture and press on a nerve, causing back pain.
Arthritis: Osteoarthritis can affect the lower back. In some cases, arthritis in the spine can lead to a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord, a condition called spinal stenosis, which can cause back pain.
Skeletal irregularities: Conditions such as scoliosis, where the spine curves to the side, can cause back pain.
Osteoporosis: Your spine's vertebrae can develop compression fractures if your bones become porous and brittle.
Muscle spasms: Involuntary contractions or tightening of the muscles in the back can cause significant discomfort.
Infections or tumors: Although less common, infections and tumors in the spine can cause back pain.
Poor posture: Slouching in chairs, sitting or standing for long periods, and sleeping in an unsupportive mattress or in an awkward position can contribute to back pain.
Overweight and lack of exercise: Being overweight puts extra stress on the back, and weak or unused muscles in your back and abdomen might lead to back pain.
Trauma: Injuries resulting from accidents, falls, or sports activities can lead to back pain.
Psychological factors: Stress, anxiety, and depression can contribute to back pain and can make it more difficult to recover from existing pain.
More than any of those factors, I have found that in my clinical experience it boils down to a lack of integration of different segments are parts of your body when trying to perform specific activities. That is why we utilize Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization as the foundation for our rehabilitative approach as the focus with Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization is not just strengthening any one part of our body, it is about how can we make sure our body is properly stabilized and the different areas of our body are communicating well with one another. If you would like to know more about Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, pause here and read the article we wrote about it. Click Here!
Everyone’s back pain is unique and as listed above there are many things that can feed into it but to be honest, from a research standpoint it is not very well understood. At our office we continue to strive to learn more as more literature on the topic comes out so that we can provide the highest quality of care when it comes to your back, neck, wrist, hip or really any part of your body that moves!
We hope you found this article to be enlightening! If you’re an athlete or an active individual who is also experiencing an injury or want to improve your performance, then don’t wait any longer. Give us a call (773-296-2766) or text us at (773-692-0670) to book your FREE Discovery call or Movement Assessment today!
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