Medical expert of the article
New publications
Severe back pain in a man
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Men are the category of the population that is called the stronger sex, it is not for nothing that it is they who have the lion's share of professions that involve heavy physical labor, i.e. the application of brute male strength. Lifting and carrying heavy objects is considered a man's business in everyday life, but it is precisely this kind of load that is fraught with the appearance of various types of severe back pain even in the absence of those pathological causes that we mentioned above.
Moreover, since the beauty of the male body lies in a toned torso and pumped up muscles, this forces the male sex to work out in the gym for hours. And any exercises with weights, effective for forming beautiful muscles, are risk factors for muscle strain no less than working with heavy loads at home. After all, muscle strain is fraught with microtraumas of the fibers, as a result of which their stretching and inflammation occur.
If only muscle fibers are damaged, they will quickly recover without special treatment, but the regeneration of muscle ligaments occurs much more slowly and is more difficult. Regardless of whether the ligaments or muscles are damaged, their stretching will be accompanied by intense pain. Such pains are characterized by suddenness, i.e. severe discomfort in the back, limiting a person's movements, occurs without preparation. As soon as a man miscalculates the weight of the weight or makes a sudden movement, a sharp pain pierces his back in the lumbar region.
Palpation of the stretch site causes pain, although such manipulations allow us to detect swelling and tissue compaction at the site of inflammation. External symptoms may include hematomas, the appearance of which is associated with small subcutaneous hemorrhages.
Incorrect approach to sports activities and heavy physical labor can also cause a pinched nerve, which often happens with sudden movements. In this case, the pain can be localized not only in the back area, but also radiate to the legs.
Usually the nerve is pinched in the intervertebral space, but sometimes the cause of such a phenomenon is hypothermia of the body and inflammation of the muscles, which become denser and harder, and can squeeze the nerve fibers passing nearby. Men, for the most part, consider themselves hardened and do not think much about how dangerous a draft is if, due to active physical work, the back is sweaty.
A significant percentage of men periodically drive a car, and the profession of a driver is considered one of the truly male professions. In hot weather, it is simply impossible to be in a car with the windows closed, and open windows are a risk factor for getting a draft through your back, which often happens to people of this profession. Moreover, the presence of an air conditioner, which allows you to avoid open windows, does not save, but only aggravates the situation, excessively cooling the back, which is already maximally loaded and sensitive while sitting.
If we talk about drivers, this is a category of people whose back pain is chronic, as well as those who spend their lives sitting at the computer. In a sitting position, the load on the spine and in particular on the lower back increases, and physical inactivity only aggravates back problems. Sometimes a man, getting out of a car, cannot fully straighten his back because of pain.
Stress is not such a common cause of back pain in the stronger sex, however, the ability to experience all the hardships and blows of fate in oneself does not mean at all that men do not know how to worry, worry, despair. Yes, they are more emotionally stable, but serious problems at work and in the family can bend even them to the ground.
As noted, in this situation the cause of pain is not only nervous tension (i.e. it is not only a psychogenic symptom), but also an increase in the load on the spine due to the fact that under the pressure of painful thoughts a person involuntarily begins to slouch. And incorrect posture leads to the fact that the load on the spine is distributed unevenly, and this in turn can cause severe multifactorial pain in the lower back.
Men are not protected from infectious diseases affecting internal organs. Cystitis, pyelo- and glomerulonephritis, hepatitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, pneumonia and many other infectious and inflammatory diseases are equally characteristic of men and women. But there are also purely male pathologies that can cause aching pain in the back, although in this case we are talking about reflected pain that occurs with prostate diseases. With acute inflammation of the organ and oncological processes, the pain can be quite intense.
Osteoporosis is a pathology that is diagnosed in men much less frequently than in women. In most cases, it is caused by age-related changes in the body, so patients over 65 usually complain of pain syndrome due to this pathology. Bad habits (alcoholism and smoking) are also considered a predisposing factor, negatively affecting metabolic processes in the body and the mineral composition of bones.
But osteochondrosis of the spine develops with the same frequency in both men and women, and is the cause of severe back pain in people of both sexes. However, in the stronger sex, it is often associated with a large load on the back, provoked by overly intensive training or professional activities that involve heavy physical labor and carrying heavy objects. Cervical osteochondrosis most often develops in drivers, computer scientists and other representatives of the stronger sex engaged in sedentary work. But for those engaged in physical labor, damage to the vertebrae in the lumbar region is more typical.
Osteochondrosis of the spine is considered one of the popular causes of radiculopathy, characterized by pinching of nerve roots by pathologically altered lean and cartilaginous structures. In this case, the pain becomes acute, piercing, and prevents changing the position of the body, not to mention doing any work.
A common cause of acute or aching severe back pain is a herniated or protruding disc, which occurs due to injuries (and when engaged in heavy physical labor, their risk is higher), excessive strain on the spine during work and sports, etc. However, men often do not pay attention to this symptom until it becomes unbearable and begins to noticeably limit movement in the spine, interfering with the performance of professional duties and sports.
As we can see, back pain in men is most often associated with physical activity. Symptoms associated with cervical pathologies often occur at a young age, which is associated with the general computerization and craze for online games. Pain and discomfort in the lower back are usually complained of by men over 30 who do physical labor or drive a car. Elderly men can suffer from diffuse pain throughout the back, caused by age-related changes and a decent baggage of various chronic diseases accumulated over many years.