| Low back pain is one of the most common | | | | foot. One may notice the affected leg is weak |
| reasons for visiting a primary care | | | | and have foot drop or the inability to extend |
| physician. People may experience back pain | | | | the great toe. Although pain caused by a |
| after lifting heavy objects, twisting and | | | | pinched sciatic nerve (sciatica) can be very |
| turning their backs during exercise or | | | | painful and debilitating, there is no risk of |
| household chores, or after a period of | | | | permanent nerve damage or paralysis. Sciatica |
| inactivity. This article discusses the | | | | is treated with physical therapy, massage, |
| possible causes and treatments for many | | | | anti-inflammatories and manipulative |
| sources of lower back pain. | | | | treatments. |
| Low back pain is one of the most | | | | |
| common reasons for visiting a primary care | | | | A herniated disk or narrowed spinal column |
| physician. People may experience back pain | | | | (spinal stenosis) can also cause low back |
| after lifting heavy objects, twisting and | | | | pain. The pain is achy or sharp and can |
| turning their backs during exercise or | | | | worsen suddenly if nerves are compressed, |
| household chores, or after a period of | | | | leading to the symptoms discussed above. A |
| inactivity. Acute low back pain is often | | | | primary difference between these conditions |
| caused by muscle inflammation and spasm and | | | | is that the pain from a bulging disk is made |
| may start suddenly or increase gradually over | | | | worse from bending forward and decreased by |
| time. It may occur in the center of the low | | | | leaning backward. The opposite is true for |
| back or next to the spine on either side. The | | | | spinal stenosis pain. The pain from both of |
| pain from muscle strain and spasm is often | | | | these conditions gets better with laying |
| achy and crampy with periods of sharpness | | | | down. Thee pain caused from sciatica is |
| that occur because of "stressing" the | | | | usually is not relieved by laying down (it |
| involved muscle. Laying down usually relieves | | | | may even get worse). The development of |
| the pain. The pain is often accompanied by | | | | sudden leg weakness, lack of sensation in the |
| stiffness when moving the lower back and very | | | | pelvic area and involuntary leakage of urine |
| tender muscles. It will usually get better | | | | or stool are signs of cauda equina syndrome. |
| with regular use of rest, heat, massage and | | | | The cauda equina is a "tail" of nerves at the |
| or anti-inflammatories and/or muscle | | | | end of the spinal cord. If these nerves are |
| relaxants for two to four weeks. Moist heat | | | | pinched, it produces the cauda equina |
| applied for 20 minutes three to four times | | | | syndrome. In addition to the conservative |
| daily and taking 200 to 800 mg per day of | | | | treatments for a pinched nerve, surgery may |
| ibuprofen helps relieve the contracted and | | | | be an option to reduce the impingement by |
| inflamed muscles. People can hasten recovery | | | | removing the disk or fusing the vertebrae to |
| by continuing to be as active as tolerated | | | | widen the spinal column. |
| and not to lift heavy objects or move in ways | | | | |
| that aggravate the pain. | | | | Other non-muscular and non-neurologic causes |
| | | | of back pain are infection and cancer. |
| Low back pain which lasts more than 6 weeks | | | | Warning signs that these conditions may be a |
| and/or begins to change in character needs to | | | | cause of acute or chronic low back are fever, |
| be evaluated by a physician. If the pain | | | | chills, lack of improvement with regular use |
| becomes sharp and begins to radiate into the | | | | of anti-inflammatories and exercise, and pain |
| buttocks or down the legs, a nerve may be | | | | that worsens with laying on the back. It is |
| pinched. The most common nerve affected by | | | | important to inform a physician about these |
| muscular spasm, spinal stenosis or a | | | | symptoms so that blood tests and imaging |
| herniated disk is the sciatic nerve. The | | | | studies can be ordered to diagnose and treat |
| sciatic nerve is a combination of nerve roots | | | | these conditions before complications arise. |
| which come from the lower spinal cord (L4-S3) | | | | |
| and form the largest nerve in the body. When | | | | The injury associated with low back pain can |
| a combination of the nerve roots or the whole | | | | be prevented by regular exercise (such as |
| nerve is pinched, one experiences pain, | | | | walking and low back exercises), maintenance |
| tingling or numbness in the buttock or the | | | | of a healthy body weight and using correct |
| backside of the leg past the knee to the | | | | body mechanics when lifting heavy objects. |