Back Injury Overview

Back Injury Causes

People often think back pain is a medical problem in and of itself. However, back pain is merely a symptom of a medical condition, not a diagnosis. Medical conditions that contribute to back pain include:

• Mechanical difficulties - Mechanical problems arise when your spine moves awkwardly or you move your vertebrae in various positions. The most common mechanical problem that causes soreness in the back is a situation known as intervertebral disc degeneration. This condition causes the discs between the backbone's vertebrae to weaken as you get older. As the discs degenerate, they also lose their sponginess. If the back is strained, this condition can cause pain. There are additional mechanical problems that may cause back pain such as spasms, muscle tightness, and herniated discs.
• Injuries - Spinal injuries like sprains and fractures can be responsible for temporary or chronic pain. Sprains are tears in the ligaments that brace the spine, and they can be caused by contorting the body or bending improperly while lifting a heavy object. Osteoporosis, a condition that causes brittle, porous bones, is a major cause of cracked vertebrae. More infrequently, injuries resulting from an accident or harsh fall also elicit back pain.
• Acquired conditions and diseases - A variety of medical problems can incite back pain including:
  • Scoliosis - curvature of the spine that will not normally lead to pain until the middle years of adulthood.
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Arthritis (e.g., osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis)
  • Spinal stenosis - narrowing of the spinal column that puts an added burden on the spinal cord and associated nerves.
  • Pregnancy
  • Kidney stones and other infections
  • Endometriosis - accumulation of uterine tissue in areas surrounding the uterus.
  • Fibromyalgia - causes exhaustion and pervasive muscle pain.
• Infections and tumors - Even though they generally do not cause back pain, infections affecting the vertebrae (i.e. osteomyelitis) or the discs serving as shock absorbers for the vertebrae (i.e. discitis) can cause tenderness. Every so often, tumors will grow in the back region, but they usually form due to cancer that originated elsewhere inside the body.

While back pain is characteristically related to physical actions, you should be aware that psychological factors can also impact the severity and longevity of the pain; emotional stress can create painful cramps in the muscles of the back among other ways in which the body is affected.