Why Does My Lower Back Hurt?

Your back is the foundation of your entire skeleton, and your lower back is, arguably, the hardest-working area of this support structure. So, it should come as no surprise that low back pain is common, exceedingly so — on a global scale, it affects 619 million people and this number is expected to jump to 843 million by 2050.

Closer to home, back pain affects about 39% of adults in the United States and it’s one of the leading causes of disability.

Now that we’ve established that low back pain is common, the team at Michigan Avenue Primary Care wants to explore some of its causes, which can help you get a step closer to relief.

Low back pain culprits

If you’re hobbled by low back pain, several conditions account for most of the overall problem, including:

Muscle strain

Your back is supported by large and small muscles, and one of the most common back injuries we see is muscle strain. These strains are often acute injuries — when you lift something heavy or lunge for the pickleball, you overstretch the muscles in your lower back. This is especially common if you have muscle tension in this area.

Degenerative disc disease

With time, the discs that act as spacers and shock absorbers between the vertebrae in your spine can lose moisture and become brittle. Called degenerative disc disease (DDD), this is a common problem as you age — by the age of 60, about 90% of people show signs of DDD.

This degeneration leaves you far more prone to common lower back issues like sciatica and herniated discs, which often overlap.

Spinal stenosis

Another degenerative issue that leads to a lot of lower back pain is lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal cord in your lower back narrows. Extra bone growth and thickening ligaments are often to blame for this narrowing, and, as a result, nerve roots can become compressed and lead to low back pain, as well as symptoms that radiate down into your leg.

To give you an idea about how common lumbar spinal stenosis is, it affects about 11% of older adults.

Arthritis

Like all of the other moving parts in your body, your lower back can succumb to arthritis, mostly in the form of osteoarthritis and facet joint arthritis.

This list isn’t complete, but it’s representative of a vast majority of cases of low back pain.

Getting relief from your lower back pain

The good news is that no matter the source of your lower back pain, the odds are good that we can help. Treatment depends upon what’s causing the discomfort in your lower back, but can include one or more of the following:

• Medications
• Physical therapy
• Interventional injections
• Hot and cold therapies
• Massage therapy

To get on the road to relief from low back pain, a good start is to contact us at our Chicago, Illinois, clinic, which is located in The Loop. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, M-F, 8 am to 4 pm.