First Author: Colby Helffrich
Second Author: James McCann
Background of Lower Back Pain
Risk Factors associated with Lower Back Pain
Most Common Causes of Low Back Pain
1) Sudden injuries to the back; such as auto accidents, fall, sports, etc.
2) Gynecological conditions; such as menstrual cramps, fibroid tumors, and pregnancy, can cause lower back pain in women.
3) Muscles, Nerves, or ligaments stressed in lower back.
4) Jobs that require repetitive movements, sitting in chairs that are not shaped properly for your back, or standing for long periods of time.
5) Bone or joint diseases; such as Arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis.
6) Being overweight, not getting a sufficient amount of exercise, and being sedentary.
7) Slipped discs, pinched nerves, sciatica, aging, and infections.
8) SMOKING! Physicians where followed for many years after their graduation from medical school, and the research that was collected from them shows that smoking history, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are associated with causing lower back pain.[4]
Diagnosis Chart for Lower Back Pain[5]
SYMPTOMS | DIAGNOSIS | SELF-CARE | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Did your pain begin after a fall or injury or when you lifted an object? | Go to Question 5.* | |||
2. Do you have numbness or pain extending down your leg? | You may have a HERNIATED DISK. | See your doctor. Get plenty of rest and use an anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve pain. If your pain is severe, if you have lost feeling or movement, or if you have lost control of your bladder or bowels, see your doctor or go to the emergency room right away. | ||
3. Are you over 60 years of age or do you have arthritis, and are you having severe pain with any movement? | You may have a FRACTURED SPINE. |
EMERGENCY |
||
4. Do you have pain when twisting, bending or even sitting? | Your pain may be from MUSCLE SPASM, a PULLED MUSCLE or a HERNIATED DISK. | Apply heat, use an anti-inflammatory medicine and get rest. If you don't get better or if your symptoms get worse, see your doctor. | ||
*5. Do you have pain that comes and goes that may have started in your teen years? | You may have SPONDYLOLISTHESIS, when one vertebra in the spine slips over another, or SPONDYLOSIS, a type of arthritis. | See your doctor. Use anti-inflammatory medicines to relieve pain. | ||
6. Do you have a fever? | Go to Question 8.** | |||
7. Do you have blood in your urine and one-sided back pain along with burning during urination? |
You may have a kidney infection such as PYELONEPHRITIS. You may also have KIDNEY STONES, which can start a kidney infection and may cause pain, blood and painful urination without a fever. |
URGENT |
||
You may have a viral illness such as the FLU. | Use analgesics such as acetaminophen to reduce fever and use over-the-counter cold medicines to treat other symptoms. See your doctor if your symptoms don't improve or if they get worse. | |||
|
||||
**8. Is your back stiff and sore in the morning and are other joints stiff, sore, swollen or red? | You may have ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS, a form of arthritis that affects the spine. Other forms of ARTHRITIS can also cause back pain. | Use an anti-inflammatory medicine and apply heat to the affected area. If you do not improve, or if your pain is severe or gets worse, see your doctor. | ||
9. Are you pregnant? | PREGNANCY causes stretching of the ligaments around the uterus and pressure on the lower back. | Apply mild heat to the back only. See your doctor if the pain continues or if fever or bleeding accompanies the pain. | ||
10. Is the pain centered in the lower spine and do you have pain down your leg? | You may have a HERNIATED DISK or SPINAL STENOSIS. | See your doctor. Get plenty of rest and use an anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve pain. If your pain is severe, if you have lost feeling or movement, or if you have lost control of your bladder or bowels, see your doctor or go to the emergency room right away. | ||
For more information, please talk to your doctor. If you think the problem is serious, call your doctor right away. |
Strengthening Exercises for Low Back Pain Prevention
(1) Back Extension (2) Back Extension on Ball (3) Reverse Hyper-Extension on Ball (4) Good Mornings
Video of Exercises to Relieve Low Back Pain
Exercise to Relieve and Help Prevent Low Back Pain
McKenzie Exercises: These the McKenzie exercise method is a process of different exercises that is done in a progression to help relieve low back pain. Each position/exercises is done for two minutes and the exercises that include movement are held for ten seconds, then you relax for two seconds and repeat the movement. Once the progression is finished end by repeating the first position/exercise (laying flat on stomache). The progression goes as followed:
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
1) Lay Flat on Stomach
2) Rest on Elbows, then lay flat; repeat
3) Push yourself up, resting on hands, lay flat; repeat
4) Lay flat on Back
5) Lay flat on Back, bend your knees, then straighten your legs; repeat
6) lay flat on Back, bring your knees to your chest, then straight your legs; repeat
**Do these exercises with your abs contracted, making sure not to strain your back. [7]
Footnotes