If you find yourself wondering "why does my back hurt?", you're not alone. You're not the only one who feels this way. Chronic back pain is a severe problem that affects more than 29% of adults. Unfortunately, determining the source of your back discomfort can be difficult. It's uncommon for someone to identify exactly what causes their back pain. However, if you can determine the prevalent reasons, you'll be in a better position to prevent the pain from recurring. Here is a list of six common reasons why your back can hurt.
1. Injury
Back pain might result from a back injury. Car accidents, sliding and falling, work-related accidents, lifting inappropriately, or working out too hard can all contribute to this. In other cases, the injury is evident, and pain appears shortly after the incident. Pain may not appear until later in the day or the next day in certain cases.
Traumatic injuries can be severe, and problems resulting from them, such as shattered vertebrae, can lead to long-term repercussions such as chronic pain, nerve damage, and paralysis. To assist muscular injuries to heal properly, a doctor may recommend you visit a physical therapist. Serious injuries may require surgical treatment.
2. Smoking
Lower back pain is nearly three times as common in smokers. Smoking reduces blood flow to the tissues and bones. This can cause your spine's disks to break down in a painful way. The soreness may last longer since smoking affects recovery. Nicotine, according to researchers, aggravates the pain. That’s why it is recommended to quit smoking as soon as possible.
3. Poor posture at work
Bending and slouching over a desk all day can cause back pain by putting strain on the spine. Since many people tend to spend a lot of time at work sitting down, depending on their placement or ergonomics, they could be exacerbating back pain.
One of the best things you can do for your back, other than adjusting your workplace setting for better posture, is to take breaks from sitting or standing for lengthy periods of time. Try these simple yoga exercises at your workplace to help you break up your sitting time.
4. Herniated disc
Under stress, lumbar disks, (the tissue cushion between each vertebra in the lower spine) can protrude or compress, resulting in a herniated disc. This condition usually causes no symptoms, however, depending on where the disc is placed, some people experience discomfort and tingling on one side of their lower back. Disks can shatter or burst in rare circumstances, producing excruciating agony and necessitating surgery to avoid irreversible nerve damage.
5. Osteoarthritis
As a person gets older, the cartilage that cushions and shields the bones may wear away. Osteoarthritis is the medical term for this condition. It is the most frequent type of arthritis in seniors. Osteoarthritis can cause the cartilage between the bones to wear away completely, causing the bones to grind together.
This can also cause tingling or numbness in the arms and legs by putting pressure on the nerves in the spine. Anyone with osteoarthritis should contact a doctor for a diagnosis. Pain management and joint function are usually the main goals of treatment.
6. Obesity
The frequency with which you get back pain is mostly determined by your weight. Obesity puts a load on your joints. And the more pressure you put on your joints, the more probable you will feel achy. The wisest choice you can do is to get started on losing weight. Losing even a small amount of weight can make a significant difference in how you feel on a daily basis.
