By EKalman June 17, 2024 - 12:15am

Back pain is an all-too-common ailment, affecting up to 80% of individuals throughout their lifetimes. Back discomfort may be detrimental, limiting your ability to work, exercise, or spend time with friends and family. However, you can ease back pain if you understand what's causing it. While it is preferable to see a doctor to establish the reason for your pain, here are seven common causes of back pain that you should be aware of.

1. Muscle strain
Muscle strain is often defined as a muscular pull or stretch or when a muscle transitions to a tendon. To put it simply, muscles are tissues that contract or stretch. Muscles are typically linked to a rope-like tissue known as a tendon, which connects to a bone. The contraction of the muscle moves bones, allowing the body's joints to flex and stretch. Strains affect the muscles and tendon connections. There are several linked muscles that keep the spine bones in alignment while also allowing regulated movement. Dozens of muscles can be overstretched, producing back pain.

2. Pinched nerve
Pinched nerves are another widespread cause of back pain in people of all ages. Pinched nerves occur when the bone or soft tissue around a nerve compresses it, causing it to become irritated and dysfunctional. This is a difficult type of pain to treat since nerves are linked to your entire neurological system. For example, a pinched nerve in your upper back may produce pain or numbness in your hand. In any case, pinched nerves are painful.

3. Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, which affects four million Americans, is a disorder characterized by muscular pain in numerous places of the body lasting at least three months. Researchers believe this is due to enhanced pain receptors in the brain. In addition to back pain, it may produce a dull ache in the buttocks, shoulders, and legs.

4. Herniated or bulging discs
Herniated or bulging discs are a common reason for pain in the back. A disc is essentially a cushion between the vertebrae in your spine. The cushiony substance inside the disc might burst or expand out, pressing on a nerve or causing the vertebrae to shift out of position. This can be quite painful, yet other individuals don't feel it at all. The pain only occurs when they have an impact on a nerve or cause another issue.

5. Spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis develops when one or more of the gaps in your spinal canal shrink. This restriction causes the spinal cord and nerves to become irritated or pinched, resulting in back pain that ranges from mild to searing or sciatic. Osteoporosis is a prevalent cause of spinal stenosis, which often affects the neck or lower back.

6. Degeneration
Another typical reason for pain in the back is simple degeneration. As you become older, the nourishing fluid that maintains your spine healthy and happy makes it more difficult to go where it needs to go. The discs in your spine also naturally decrease with time or possibly tear and completely deteriorate. These conditions cause the vertebrae and bones to rub together, resulting in friction, tension, and pain. Back discomfort might result from a lack of nutritious fluid in the joints.

7. Cancer
Spinal discomfort caused by cancer is frequently a result of metastatic disease. In other words, cancer has spread from another area to the spine. Typically, it indicates that the spine's bones have been affected, resulting in the activation of a chemical inflammatory reaction and nerve irritation. Most doctors will have a heightened level of suspicion for patients with a history of cancer. People who experience back pain and unexplained weight loss will be evaluated for malignancy or infection.