Back pain is the worst. I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, she was putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, and I was miserable. I could barely even lift my leg, let alone get comfortable, while I was trying to sleep. It was not fun and just about the worst pain I've ever felt.
I think I knew that your back was connected to all movement in the body, but I didn't really understand just how much that was true until there was an issue with my back. Back pain is so common and can happen to anyone at any time.
From twisting and turning the wrong way to full-blown throwing out your back, where is this all coming from? I reached out to Dr. Jared Crasto, an orthopedic spine surgeon from The Christ Hospital Health Network, to straighten out all these back pain issues.
Causes of back pain
Back pain is so typical and happens to just about everyone. So, what are the main causes of back pain? Dr. Crasto said, “The main cause of back pain is muscular back pain. When people say their back 'goes out' and they can't move, it's typically due to muscle spasm. Other common causes are spine degeneration including arthritis, degenerative disc disease, facet joint dysfunction, scoliosis and other deformities, or sacroiliac joint dysfunction."
Back pain can also come down to what kind of work you do each day. Most people would guess jobs with physical labor or lifting and twisting would cause a lot of damage to the back, but so can sitting at our desk every day.
Dr. Crasto said, “Inactivity can sometimes be as bad as too much activity. Your muscles and joints need a certain amount of motion each day to maintain optimal function. If you work at a sedentary job, it's more important than ever to make time for exercise. Keep a strong core and try to get about 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise in each day. Also optimize your diet, maintain a healthy weight and stay away from any nicotine products (cigarettes, cigars, chew tobacco, vapes)."
Back pain? Get it checked out
Since back pain can happen so often and to so many people, knowing when to get it checked out can be an issue. “If you start to get pain shooting from the back down the leg, weakness in the legs, numbness in the legs, problems walking, or problems controlling your bowel and bladder—that's definitely when it's time to get it checked out."
Getting back or neck pain checked likely means an X-ray or MRI, but those images might not tell the whole story, so going to see a certified spine surgeon is the best choice.
Dr. Crasto explained, “X-rays and MRI scans are only one tool in the shed in terms of diagnosing what is wrong with your back or neck. They give us a good idea of anatomical and structural makeup of your spine. Many people will have changes that can be a normal part of aging. These findings (and especially the wording a radiologist uses on their report) can be troubling to a patient trying to read their own study. A spine surgeon can help to put those findings into a bigger picture. Moreso, the spine surgeon will conduct a detailed history and physical examination to determine whether the structural findings are consistent with these, to determine if they are indeed the true culprit, or merely incidental findings."