Lower back pain is one of the commonest ailments of our times. It is a direct result of a modern lifestyle that is sedentary. The causes are the wrong supports while sitting and sleeping and maintaining the wrong posture. The chairs, beds, computers and other common items at work and at home are not ergonomic enough for proper back health. Coupled with infections, poor nutrition for bones and muscles, back pain injuries have proliferated.

Lower back pain has specific causes and tends to be chronic. Medical conditions that affect the spine, nerves and joints all contribute to the pain felt. An individual could have lower back pain caused by more than one medical condition. As we age, we become more susceptible to back pain because of reduced cerebral-spinal fluid in our spines. It is extremely important to commence treatment for back pain as soon as you notice it.

Chronic back pain can become so severe that it can cause a migraine. It leads to general moodiness and lethargy. The pain ranges from dull to sharp peaking at certain times of the day, especially mornings. Therefore pain management is the core treatment for lower back pain and takes longer than most ailments. Back pain may be the result of sudden impact during an accident or the manifestation of wrong exercises and posture over time.

The important thing to note is that since the major nerves of the spine are involved, there is a lot of deferred pain. Headache treatment is often necessary with low back pain but the patient should always understand that the root cause is not in the head. Pain may also be reflected from the nerves in the legs and pelvis to the lower back. This case is known as sciatica. Most excruciating is joint pain which seems unavoidable whenever one moves.

Impact or sustained pressure to the lower spine results in a herniated disk that presses onto surrounding tissue. This condition describes most of low back pain complaints which are referred to as lumbar pain. Consulting a doctor will lead to x-ray prescription in order to verify the exact location of herniation. The curve of the patient suffering from lumbar pain does not have the ideal S-curve of a healthy spine. The pain causes the patient to adapt his posture to the position with least pain.

Arthritis and spinal stenosis make back pain worse and therefore persons with these conditions should not strain themselves. As much as medication and diet are addressed by mainstream medicine, alternative therapy is a great supplement for back pain relief. These therapies address the fact that tension and stress are great contributors to lower back pain. They should be practiced consistently to show results.

Each patient has a unique status that contributes to back pain and its severity. Customized treatment such as physiotherapy ends up as the only effective means of pain relief. On the other hand, chiropractors have proven that quick relief to back pain can be achieved. Chiropractic deals with realignment of spinal imperfections. It should be followed up by healthy habits, sufficient rest and bone-building supplements.