Constant lower back pain

Introduction to Constant Lower Back Pain

Constant lower back pain is also known as lumbago and it is something that is very annoying and cannot be ignored because it makes everyday activities very difficult and painful for an individual.

It hurts every time a person stands up, sits, bends, or stretches. This pain that constantly shoots up the spine and the muscle spasms that occur are very nagging and sometimes will not even allow a person to get a good night’s sleep.

Causes

There are many different reasons people experience constant back pain. The most common cause is over usage. This usually results in problems that occur because of strain experienced by muscles, ligaments, discs, and joints that are all located within the complex system of the lower back.

All of these parts work together in the back, and when one of them is strained or injured, the rest tend to suffer as well.

Another possible problem is sciatica, which is acute nerve root pain. This is caused by some kind of pressure that is constantly being put on the nerves located in the lower back region.

A slipped or prolapsed disc might cause this. Generally, the problem is the result of some kind of problem in the discs of the spin, because when they come out of place, they can put pressure on the nerves that are located in great amounts in that area of the body.

Another common reason for constant lower back pain is spinal stenosis, which is when the spinal canal gets narrower and pressures into the nerves and muscles, which causes a decent amount of discomfort.

Joint degeneration can also lead to pain, and this usually occurs as a person gets older.

Spinal deformities will also lead to pain, and they are usually caused by poor posture or they might even by genetic birth defects in some cases.

Dysmenorrhea is a condition that is experienced by women during their menstrual period and it causes the muscles in the lower back to cramp and spasm.

It will go away once the period subsides, but it does cause a lot of discomfort for the two weeks that it does occur on a monthly basis, which can still be considered to be constant lower back pain.

Constant back pain can also be caused by bacterial infections that affect the pine and by the blood that carries the infection into the back region.

Spinal tumors, stress, depression, and fractures of the bones, especially ribs, can also lead to constant back problems.

Treatment Options

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is defined as a pain that persists for more than 3 months, or longer than the expected healing period; it represents one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal problems in modern society. CLBP is experienced by 70%–80% of adults at some time in their lives. Its management comprises a range of different intervention strategies including surgery, drug therapy and non-medical intervention like rehabilitation.

Among alternative rehabilitative techniques, it is known that the behavioral or biopsychosocial approach offers the foundation for a better insight into persistent pain.
Within rehabilitation approaches to CLBP, the Back School (BS), consisting of training in group exercises, has proven its efficacy in many research studies. BS is effective not only in improving the quality of life (QoL) and reducing disability in low back pain (LBP) but also in improving mental well-being.
In total, 26 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were considered in the review: 14 articles on the pilates approach, six articles treating the MK method, three articles about GPR, one article concerning the Feldenkrais technique.
In the examined articles the importance of QoL and psychological aspects of examination in CLBP are evident. Above all, there are many studies that link CLBP and depression or other aspects that are intimately correlated to pain perception. On the other hand, Marshall et al emphasize on the psychosocial components of pain for complementing and improving the response to physical activity interventions and confirming the fear-avoidance model used to explain the relationship between pain and disability.

✓ Fact confirmed: Chronic low back pain and postural rehabilitation exercise: a literature review Teresa Paolucci, Carmine Attanasi, Walter Cecchini, Alessandra Marazzi, Serena V. Capobianco, and Valter Santilli; 2018 Dec 20.