The causes for lower back pain can be diverse, and can go from muscle strain as a general cause, or a more specific identifiable and diagnosable condition like degenerative disc disease.
The lower back pain is one of the most common issues for people in the US, and this happens especially for adults. Studies show that 90% of adults will suffer from it at some point in their lives.
Believe it or not, the intensity of the pain is most often not related to the extent of physical injury. To make it clearer, think about this: a simple casual back strain can produce an excruciating lower back pain. It will make it difficult for you to walk, while a herniated disc can pass unnoticed, and produce no pain.
Classifying Low Back Pain
This type of pain can be either acute or chronic, and here is what each means:
1) Acute Lower Back Pain: is a short term lasting pain, and it goes from a few days to a couple of weeks. If left untreated or ignored, the acute pain syndrome can get more serious, and aggravate.
2) Chronic Low Back Pain: is defined as a pain that persists for more than three months, and can be progressive, or can appear occasionally, and then get away. The bad thing about the chronic pain is that it can be difficult to determine.
When is Surgical Intervention Needed for Lower Back Pain?
A few symptoms can help you identify when the medical condition is serious enough to require surgery. If you are one of these patients you should seek medical care ASAP. These symptoms are:
- Sudden bowel and/or bladder dysfunctions
- Progressive weakness in legs
- Severe, continuous abdominal and low back pain
In case of noticing one of these symptoms please, do not hesitate to visit a physician immediately. Also in case of fever or chills, history of cancer with recent loss of weight. In case of severe trauma suffering, also seek medical care in the shortest of time.
Lower back pain can affect the quality of our lives if left untreated or ignored. The truth of the matter is that as long as there is something we can do about it. There is no reason to let it affect your general health, your mood, or your work.