Causes
Most cases of back disorders aren't caused by underlying disease. They're
usually caused by aging, wear and tear, and poor posture. Obesity and smoking
are risk factors for back problems. There are a number of back disorders, each
having a different cause.
Muscle spasms in the back can occur when any part of the back is irritated.
Muscle spasms are often an attempt by the body to protect a sore back. Muscle
spasms also occur when the spinal nerves are irritated or damaged. Joint pain
occurs when the joints become worn by activity or by being twisted.
Disc trouble, also called discogenic back pain, can occur in two
ways. The jelly-like material inside the disc either bulges out or bursts
through the hard outer cartilage of the disc. When this material bulges out
and presses on a nerve, it causes pain and is called a herniated or prolapsed
disc. Disc pain usually gets worse over the course of a few days. It usually
goes away after two weeks, but it may continue as a dull, nagging ache. If the
material inside a disc comes out completely, the condition is called a ruptured
disc and is more serious.
Anything that causes pressure on the sciatic nerve root causes sciatica.
The most common cause of sciatica, which is characterized by buttock and leg
pain, is a disc or bone spur pressing on spinal nerve. It usually gets worse
over a period of days, and may last up to several weeks.
Bone spurs, called osteophytes, are new growths of the bones in the
spine. After the age of 60, they may grow together and cause fewer problems.
Spinal stenosis occurs when the canal holding the spinal cord becomes
narrower, due to bone spurs sticking out into the canal.