Reviewed by Michael Fuller, M.D.
Back pain from an unknown cause is the second leading cause of absence from work in the United States, second only to the common cold. It is the leading cause of disability in people aged 18 to 45. Four out of five adults will experience significant lower back pain sometime during their life.
The back is divided into five sections. The coccyx and sacrum are immobile sections of fused vertebrae; they are located below your waistline into the buttocks. The lumbar spine contains five vertebrae that run from the top of the buttocks to the lower chest; the thoracic spine has 12 vertebrae, which span from the lumbar spine to the shoulders; and the cervical spine, 7 vertebrae, which are found in the neck. The thoracic, cervical and lumbar spines give you the flexibility to bend, stretch, lift, and twist. The cervical and lumbar spines are the most flexible, and therefore, the most injury prone.
Back pain, while easy to diagnose, is often hard to pinpoint. There are so many possible causes, and so many different sensations of pain associated with it that often takes some time to diagnose the specific cause of your pain. Lower back pain is the most common type of back pain, and it can be caused by anything from injury to aging.
The most common type of lower back injury is a strain or sprain. Muscle sprain can occur when the muscles are overworked, or not conditioned properly. Ligament sprain happens when a sudden forceful movement pulls a ligament. Lack of conditioning and overuse often cause or aggravate sprains.
Many factors contribute to back injury or strain, such as obesity, smoking, poor conditioning, and overuse. In addition, the aging process affects the back. Aside from osteoarthritis, which can cause both lumbar and cervical back pain, your aging ligaments and muscles lose much of their elasticity and strength. Regular exercise, proper diet and smoking cessation can help you to keep your back healthy as you age.
As you age, you suffer some degree of degenerative disk disease and some degree of arthritis in your joints. For some people it is not noticeable, but for others, this is a major cause of back pain. Osteoporosis, a condition that occurs when the bone wears away excessively, is also an age-related condition that can cause back pain.
Fracture or compression fractures are a common cause of back pain. A bad fall, lifting, or stress from everyday activities causes these.
Ring-shaped disks sit in between the vertebrae in your spine. These disks are soft on the inside and hard on the outside. When you are young, the inside of your disk is jelly-like; as you age, it hardens. As you age, you can develop cracks, or fissures in the disks. Sometimes, materials from the disk can push out from these cracks. This condition is called a ruptured, slipped, or herniated disk.
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