Your provider will ask about your symptoms and do a physical examination. To look for broken bones or other damage, your provider may order imaging studies. These studies help your provider see clear photos of your vertebrae, disks, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Lower neck and back pain usually improves with rest, ice and over the counter pain relievers. After a few days of rest, you can start to return to your normal activities. Staying active increases blood flow to the area and helps you heal.
Symptoms of lower neck and back pain can come on suddenly or appear gradually. Sometimes, pain occurs after a specific event, such as bending to pick something up. Other times, you may not know what caused the pain. Pain may be sharp or dull and achy, and it may radiate to your bottom or down the back of your legs (sciatic nerve pain). If you strain your back during an activity, you may hear a “pop” when it happened. Pain is often worse in certain positions (like bending over) and gets better when you rest.
“Chronic lower neck and back pain is less likely to be triggered by injury to your muscles and ligaments and more likely to be because of issues with the lumbar disks, nerves, joints or vertebrae,” says Dr. Palmer. “There are several potential root causes of chronic pain in the lower back.” In general, osteoarthritis (one of the most common kind of arthritis) and degenerative disk disease (the natural deterioration of spinal disks) are the underlying cause of many kinds of chronic lower neck and back pain. However, ปวดหลังส่วนล่าง and back pain can also be caused by accident-related trauma and acute stress.
Low back pain can arise from several injuries, conditions or diseases– most often, an injury to muscles or tendons in the back. Pain can range from mild to severe. In some cases, pain can make it difficult or impossible to walk, sleep, work or do everyday activities. Usually, lower pain in the back gets better with rest, painkiller and physical therapy (PT). Cortisone injections and hands-on treatments (like osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation) can relieve pain and help the healing process. Some back injuries and conditions require surgical repair work.
Lower pain in the back can be related to cancer. In fact, it is one of the first symptoms of prostate cancer when it metastasizes and creates lesions. Almost any cancer can spread to the back and some, like sarcoma, can originate in the back. Be cautious, especially if you are experiencing other symptoms besides lower back pain. Speak to your doctor if you have additional symptoms or concerns.
A grownup’s thoracic and lumbar spine is composed of about 17 bones (vertebrae) stacked on top of each other. Between each set of vertebrae lies a cushiony disk, which helps absorb the pressure placed on these bones. Each disk is composed of an outer rind and an inner gel. A herniated lumbar disk occurs when the inner gel of one of the five disks in your lumbar spine slips or squishes beyond the outer rind, allowing this inner gel to press on surrounding nerves– causing pain. This slippage can be as a result of trauma or gradual, age-related damage.
Lower back pain is very common. It can result from a strain (injury) to muscles or tendons in the back. Other causes include arthritis, structural problems and disk injuries. Pain often gets better with rest, physical therapy and medication. Reduce your risk of low pain in the back by maintaining a healthy weight and staying active.
