Back pain can stem from issues with your bones, muscles, connective tissue, or nerves. Despite being strong and flexible, your back is vulnerable to a variety of painful injuries and degenerative conditions.
For example, you could strain a muscle or fracture a vertebra in a sports or automobile accident, or you could develop osteoarthritis in your spine. Some of the other common causes of back pain include:
- Herniated discs
- Compression fractures
- Osteoporosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis
- Scoliosis
- Sciatica is the name for a group of symptoms caused by sciatic nerve compression. The term is often used interchangeably with low back pain, but sciatica also includes numbness, tingling, or weakness in one or both of your hips, buttocks, and legs.
Your risk of back pain increases if you’re overweight, have a physically demanding job, or lead a sedentary lifestyle. Additionally, as you age, your spinal discs become dry and less flexible, which makes them more susceptible to injury.