Back pain may be the most widespread pain in the body as people get older. While it can be difficult to figure out what exactly caused the pain in the first place there are some common reasons. One is too much sitting, something most people are guilty of in modern society.
However it occurs it can keep you from doing many of the things you love to do. It can even lead to other more serious health issues if it gets worse.
Back Pain Types
While you might not know what you did, there are ways to determine the cause of your back pain such as the location of the pain on the back, as well as the type of pain.
* Referred Pain
Have you ever had pain in your lower back that can seem to move into your hip? This is a type of referred pain. The pain is usually a dull ache. It has a tendency to migrate to different areas of the back. The degree of the pain can get worse or better as well.
* Axial Pain
With axial pain, the type of pain can be dull or sharp. It’s one that can also come and go. However, unlike referred pain, it’s limited to a specific muscle or area of the back. A lot of times this is what’s more commonly referred to as a muscle strain.
* Radicular Pain
Radicular pain is a pain that would be described as a numbness (like your foot falling asleep), or even weakness. It’s usually associated with the nerve. Many times this type of pain radiates out from the spine and down the arm. Radicular pain can be pretty severe and debilitating.
* Chronic Or Recurring Back Pain
This type of back pain can really reduce the quality of life. It’s hard to do much of anything, or enjoy anything you do, when you are in constant pain. This type of pain can cause a host of other problems, and can even lead to depression if it’s not treated in a timely manner.
What Causes Back Pain
Diagnosing the cause of your back pain can work wonders for your mental outlook. Just knowing the cause can lift your spirits because now you know what you’re up against and can move forward toward a solution.
There are lots of things that can lead to back pain but some of the common reasons are as follows:
* Bad Posture
Sadly, the vast majority of people have bad posture in one form or another. Whether it’s slumped shoulders, slouching, or even heel dragging while walking, bad posture is pretty common. When you have bad posture, your body tries to compensate, which can lead to imbalances and ultimately back pain occurs. In fact, depending on the severity of the posture issues, it can lead to a damaged spine.
* Overuse Injuries
Have you ever heard the phrase “weekend warriors?” These are the people that work a sedentary job all week and then go out and participate in hours of some type of sport or another. Or they spend all day working in in their garden. Or go hiking the local trails. They aren’t in shape, but they treat their weekends like they are. This is why so many of them develop some type of back pain because they are overworking muscles that aren’t used to the stress.
* Heavy Lifting
Whether it’s that big bag of dog food or moving the furniture to clean, heavy lifting can cause back problems. Especially when you add bad lifting technique to the equation. This is a big cause of lower back pain.
Understanding the cause and type of your back pain can go a long way toward putting a solution in place so you can get back to living your life pain free.