bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Low Back Pain
Causes of Low Back Pain
Most back pain is caused by disorders of the spine and the joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerve roots around it or the disks between vertebrae. Often, no single specific cause can be identified. Any painful disorder of the spine may cause reflex tightening (spasm) of muscles around the spine. This spasm may worsen the existing pain. Stress may worsen low back pain, but how it does so is unclear. Occasionally, back pain is due to disorders outside the spine, such as cancer, gynecologic disorders (for example, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) ), disorders of the kidneys (for example, Common causes of low back pain include Injuries to muscles and ligaments Osteoarthritis (OA) None Compression Fractures of the Spine None A Herniated Disk None Common causes None Spondylolisthesis None Fibromyalgia None Injuriesmay occur during routine activities (for example, lifting, exercising, moving in an unexpected way) or result from trauma, such as a fall or car crash. Often no specific injured structures are identified with imaging tests, but doctors presume that some muscles and/or ligaments have been affected. Osteoarthritis (OA) None Compression Fractures of the Spine None Herniated Disk None Lumbar Spinal Stenosis None Spinal stenosis may cause Sciatica as well as low back pain. Spondylolisthesis None Fibromyalgia None Strengthening abdominal muscles, as well as back muscles, helps support the spine and prevent low back pain. Less common causes of low back pain include Spinal infections Spinal Tumors None A bulge (aneurysm) in the large artery in the abdomen ( Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms ) Certain digestive disorders, such as Diverticulitis None Certain urinary tract disorders, such as Overview of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) , Certain disorders involving the pelvis, such as Ectopic Pregnancy , Shingles (before and after the rash is seen) Paget Disease of Bone None Several types of inflammatory arthritis, such as Ankylosing Spondylitis None Inflammatory or infiltrative disorders in the space behind the abdominal cavity (retroperitoneum), such as scarring, bleeding, enlarged lymph nodes, and IgG4-Related Disease None Inflammatory muscle disorders, such as Autoimmune Myositis and other inflammatory myopathies and 