Back pain is so common in America that 75% of the population will experience it in their lifetimes. Since back pain affects middle age people it has a huge affect on the economy. Studies have shown that low pack pain is a leading cause of work absentees.
Back pain being the substantial problem that it is, it is important to know the causes of back pain as well as how to prevent it.
Causes of Back Pain
Muscle Strain
The leading cause of back pain is due to a simple muscle strain. At some point an individual may have an event that causes their muscle to spasm. These strains will relax in a matter of weeks.
Ruptured Disc
A ruptured disc, or herniated disc, is another cause of back pain. Treatment may vary depending on many factors. Consult your physician for proper treatment.
Discogenic Back Pain
This type of back pain may be a leading cause of low back pain. This type of pain is the result of damage to the intervertabral disc.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a disease that affects joints in the fingers, wrists, and knees. Lumbar spine arthritis can affect the joints within the spine itself. Arthritis would cause you to have pain when you were moving.
There are many other factors that determine a person’s probability of having back pain. Age, weight, and past injuries are all factors that can cause lower back pain. Let’s take a look into ways to prevent future back pain.
Ways to Prevent Back Pain
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
One of the best things you can do to prevent lower back pain is to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts enormous pressure on your lower back. Maintaining a healthy core, or abdominal muscles, will help you support your back by providing proper posture.
Exercise
You hear exercise as being the answer to preventing just about every medical condition on record. So much so, we tend to ignore it. Living an active lifestyle will increase muscle tone, decrease fat, and reduce levels of stress. Each of the factors plays a role in back pain. Muscle tone keeps your body strong and able function at optimal levels. Fat has a tendency to gather around the waist and hips. This puts undo strain on your lower back. Overall stress decreases the ability for the body to heal itself when it is injured.
Lift Properly
When you lift, lift with your knees. Try to keep your back straight and force the weight through your legs and knees. Generally, your legs are the most muscular part of your body. These muscles are much more capable of handling stress and weight than your back muscles.