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Why does my back hurt?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Why does the back hurt? The answer becomes obvious if everyone carefully analyzes their daily routine.
The modern generation differs from its ancestors by its minimally active lifestyle. All the benefits of technical progress are aimed at making people move and strain as little as possible, shifting all the fuss to smart machines. At work, most of the time is spent sitting at the computer, at home - at the computer or TV, on the way to work and back - sitting in transport.
The structure of the musculoskeletal system is designed in such a way that neither bones without muscles, nor muscles without bones can function normally independently, in isolation from each other. When weak back muscles, during a long working day, from strong tension, force a person to change their postures so that the back can at least "rest" a little. In this case, posture suffers first of all. That is why the back hurts when performing such activities. Long stay in an unnatural, for the back muscles, posture leads to the formation of curvatures in the spinal column, because the spine, following the muscles, is also forced to bend and "freeze" for a long time in uncomfortable positions.
Why does my back hurt: causes of back pain
Sometimes, without really understanding why the back hurts, a person begins to use various painkillers in tablets, or ointments with a targeted warming and pain-relieving effect. Ignorance of the anatomical structure of one's body and many physiological features leads to the fact that it is difficult for a person to convey to the doctor the symptomatic picture of their sensations, to conduct a clear analysis of the localization of pain. Back pain can develop for several reasons, many of which have nothing to do with the back muscles. Let's list the most common reasons, maybe from the listed points you will find out why the back hurts:
- fatigue of the back muscles due to poor posture;
- back muscle strains and injuries;
- unilateral or bilateral myositis;
- the presence of areas of scoliosis (curvature of the spinal column in different parts);
- problems with the skeletal system of the back (for example, osteoporosis);
- joint diseases of the spine, including intervertebral hernias;
- pathological processes in the abdominal cavity and pelvic organs.
Bad posture
Many people are surprised why their back hurts if, after a full examination, no diseases or changes in the musculoskeletal system are found? There is nothing surprising in the fact that against the background of complete well-being, pain occurs in the body. Ordinary fatigue, to which, in particular, the back muscles are subject, can provoke the appearance of painful sensations in them.
The back muscles relax very hard. Most of the time they are in a tense state, moreover, incorrect posture leads to the strongest tension of some muscles and twisting of others into unnatural positions. Correct posture evenly distributes the load across the entire spine and muscles. When shifting to one side or the other, there is, accordingly, a redistribution of the load. The longer you stay in a "curved posture", the stronger the back pain will be on the side whose muscles have performed excessive work, the more often you will have the question: "why does my back hurt?"
Constant posture disorders lead to the muscles "getting used" to the incorrect position, losing their elasticity, resilience and pulling the spinal column along with them. Scoliosis appears. The pathological changes do not end there. Following the muscles and the spinal column, large blood vessels, nerve trunks and their branches are subject to curvature. Bends, clamps, even the most insignificant vessels and nerve branches, lead to a failure in their work. And any failure in the body, sooner or later, leads to the development of painful sensations.
Back muscle strains and injuries
A weak back muscle frame can withstand any load for a long time. That is why the back hurts more often in untrained people with a poorly developed muscle frame than in those people who pay great attention to their health. However, there are times when even well-trained muscles fail. Such moments include sprains or injuries. A back that has been injured once can cause discomfort for a long time with periodic relapses of severe pain. At the same time, the localization of the injury in one of the parts of the back inevitably leads to a disruption in the activity of the entire body as a whole.
If you have a back muscle strain or injury, you should definitely seek professional medical help, otherwise serious consequences may arise that can lead to disability.
Myositis in the back area
The effect of cold temperatures on warmed up back muscles can lead to the development of an inflammatory process called myositis, which is why the back hurts with this disease. It can be on one side - unilateral, and on both sides at the same time, respectively, it will be called bilateral. With this disease, the back pain is quite intense, preventing active movements. Any turn, bend causes an attack of pain. You can relieve inflammation at home, without resorting to inpatient treatment, but you must definitely get a prescription for treatment and a consultation from a doctor.
The relationship between the abdominal and pelvic organs and back pain
Many diseases cannot be diagnosed in a short time, due to their disguise under different diagnoses. For example, it can be difficult to understand why the back hurts in the lumbar region, although no signs of disorders in the musculoskeletal system of this section were found. A thorough examination diagnoses lesions of the pelvic organs, which for a long time were asymptomatic and only at a late stage began to manifest themselves in the form of pain radiating to the lumbar region of the back.
There are many similar examples of why the back hurts. The feeling of back pain also appears with diseases associated with the abdominal organs, especially if these are multiple adhesions in the intestines. The commonality of the ligament-tendon apparatus, the close, compact location of all organs in the human body leads to the fact that inflammatory diseases cannot occur in isolation in one organ, its close and distant "neighbors" will certainly be involved.
How to find out why your back hurts?
Before going to the doctor, try to remember all the events and details that happened in the last few days before the pain symptom appeared. A detailed story from the patient, with an accurate description of the nature of the pain, the frequency of occurrence and the reasons that provoke it, allows the doctor to make many correct conclusions and understand why your back hurts in your particular case, even before instrumental diagnostic methods are carried out.
Magnetic resonance imaging is the most common and most effective method for diagnosing the majority of all known diseases, including those associated with back pain.
How to treat if your back hurts?
Each pain is a separate special case that should be considered individually, taking into account many facts and individual nuances. There are no two identical people, just as there are no two absolutely identical diseases. There are general patterns in formation and development. However, it is necessary to pay attention to individual characteristics, which is why the back hurts differently. Medical procedures and measures for the treatment of back pain are always associated with a whole range of measures. This is pain therapy and general strengthening drugs, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercise with massage courses. There are situations when conservative treatment alone is not enough and it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. Modern medicine has excellent technologies that allow you to quickly and almost painlessly solve complex surgical problems.
Strong muscles - healthy back
It has been noted that young people living in rural areas have problems with their back muscles only in emergency cases related to improper lifting of weights or injuries. But why do those who live in the city and are not involved in physical labor have back pain?
Most problems with the human body arise from banal laziness. Laziness to spend ten minutes in the morning on exercises and a cool shower, laziness to walk instead of traveling in stuffy and crowded transport, laziness to cook healthy food, it is easier to have a quick snack, even if not entirely healthy. It is not even worth talking about jogging in the morning and dousing with cold water. Most of the city population is too lazy to visit fitness centers that are within walking distance. But the back muscles require constant training, and through a special set of exercises.
By devoting twenty minutes a day to your back, especially in the evening, you can provide yourself with a strong muscular frame for many years, which will not be afraid of errors in posture and heavy physical exertion. The necessary set of exercises should be selected according to the individual characteristics of the physique, age indicators, health status. You should start with a complete examination of the body and obtaining a medical opinion on the admissibility of physical activity. Consultations with an orthopedist, chiropractor and professional fitness instructors will help you decide on an effective set of exercises. Love systematic physical activity, eat healthy foods, give preference to movement rather than passive leisure, do not look for an answer to the question of why your back hurts from friends and acquaintances - move and be healthy.