^

Health

Why does the back hurt?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
Fact-checked
х

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If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Why does the back hurt? The answer becomes obvious if everyone carefully analyzes their daily routine.

The modern generation differs from its ancestors in a minimally mobile way of life. All the benefits of technical progress are aimed at ensuring that the person moves as little as possible and strains himself, shifting all the fuss to intelligent 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 the transport.

The construction of the musculoskeletal system is designed in such a way that neither bones without muscles nor muscles without bones can function normally on their own, apart from each other. When weak dorsal muscles, during a long working day, from a strong strain, force a person to change their positions so that the back is at least a little "rested." In this case, the posture suffers in the first place. That's why the back hurts when doing this kind of activity. Long stay in the unnatural, for the back muscles, posture, leads to the formation of curvatures in the spinal column, because the spine, after the muscles, also has to bend, and for a long time "freeze" in uncomfortable poses.

Why does my back hurt? Causes of back pain

Sometimes, not having understood properly, why the back really hurts, the person starts to apply various anaesthetising agents in tablets, or ointments of the directed warming and anesthetizing action. Ignorance of the anatomical structure of your body and many physiological features leads to the fact that it can be difficult for a person to tell a doctor a symptomatic picture of his feelings, 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 muscles of the back. We list the most common reasons, maybe from the listed items you will find out why the back hurts: 

  • fatigue of the back muscles due to incorrect posture;
  • stretching and trauma of the dorsal muscles;
  • unilateral or bilateral myositis;
  • presence of scoliosis sites (curvature of the spinal column in different parts of it);
  • problems with the bone apparatus of the back (for example, osteoporosis);
  • joint diseases of the spine, including intervertebral hernia;
  • pathological processes in the organs of the abdominal cavity and small pelvis.

Wrong posture

Many wonder why the back hurts, if, after a complete examination, there are no diseases or changes in the musculoskeletal system? There is nothing surprising in that, against the background of complete well-being of health, in the body, pains arise. The usual fatigue experienced, in particular, by the muscles of the back, can provoke the appearance of pain in them.

Muscles of the back very heavily relax. Most of the time they are in a stressed state, moreover, incorrect posture, leads to a strong tension of some muscles and twisting, into unnatural positions, others. Correct posture evenly distributes the load across the vertebral column and muscles. If there is a preponderance in one or the other direction, there is, accordingly, a redistribution and a load. The longer you stay in a "twisted posture," the stronger will be back pain from the side whose muscles perform excessive work, the more often you will have a question: "why does the back hurt?"

Constant violations of posture lead to the fact that the muscles "get used" to the wrong position, losing their elasticity, elasticity and pulling the spine behind them. Appears scoliosis. On this pathological changes are not completed. Following the muscles and vertebral column, large blood vessels, nerve trunks and their branches are subjected to curvature. Bends, clamps, even the smallest vessels and nerve branches, lead to a malfunction in their work. And any failure in the body, sooner or later, leads to the development of pain.

Sprains and injuries of the dorsal muscles

A weak muscular back skeleton is able to withstand any loads for a long time. That is why the back hurts more often in untrained people, with an underdeveloped muscular skeleton, than in those people who pay much attention to their health. However, there are times when even well-trained muscles fail. Such moments include stretching or trauma. Injured once the back, can cause discomfort for a long time with periodic relapses of severe pain. In this case, the localization of the trauma in one of the parts of the back inevitably leads to a violation of the activity of the whole organism as a whole.

Having received a stretching or trauma to the dorsal muscles, it is necessary to seek professional medical help, otherwise serious consequences can occur that could lead to disability.

Myositis in the back region

The effect of cold temperatures on warmed back muscles can lead to the development of an inflammatory process, called myositis, which is why the back hurts in this disease. It can be on the one hand - one-sided, and from two sides simultaneously, respectively, it will be called bilateral. With this disease, the back pain is quite intense, preventing active movements. Any turn, slope causes a bout of pain. You can remove inflammation at home without resorting to inpatient care, but to get appointments for treatment and counseling, of course, you need a doctor.

Connections of the abdominal and pelvic organs with back pain

Many diseases can not be diagnosed in a short time, in view of their disguise for different diagnoses. For example, it can be difficult to understand why the back hurts in the lumbar region, although there are no signs of abnormalities in the musculoskeletal apparatus of this department. With a careful examination, the lesions of the pelvic organs are diagnosed, which for a long time were asymptomatic and only at a late stage began to manifest themselves in the form of pains that give back to the lumbar region.

Similar examples of why the back hurts can be given quite a lot. The feeling of pain in the back appears and with diseases associated with the organs of the abdominal region, especially if it is multiple adhesions in the intestine. The generality of the ligamentous tendon apparatus, the close, compact arrangement of all organs in the human body leads to the fact that inflammatory diseases can not pass in an isolated manner in one organ, the near neighbors and its distant "neighbors" will certainly be involved.

trusted-source[1], [2]

How do I know why my back hurts?

Before going to the doctor, try to remember all the events and details that have occurred in the last few days before the onset of the pain symptom. A detailed story of the patient, with accurate transmission of the nature of the pain, frequency of occurrence and the causes of their provoking, allows the doctor to draw many correct conclusions and understand why the back hurts in your specific case, even before the instrumental diagnostic methods are performed.

Magnetic resonance imaging is the most common and most effective method of diagnosing most of all known diseases, including those associated with back pain.

How to treat if the back hurts?

Each pain is a separate special case, which must be considered individually, taking into account a lot of facts and individual nuances. There are no two identical people, just like two completely identical diseases. There are general patterns in education and development. However, it is necessary to pay attention to individual characteristics, which is why the back hurts differently. Treatment procedures and measures for the treatment of back pain are always associated with a whole range of measures. This is anesthetic therapy and restorative drugs, physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises with massage courses. There are situations where only conservative treatment is not enough and should resort to prompt intervention. Modern medicine has excellent technology that allows you to quickly and practically painlessly solve complex surgical problems.

Strong muscles - healthy back

It is noticed that in young people living in the countryside, problems with the muscles of the back arise only in emergency cases associated with improper lifting of weights or injuries. And why does the back hurt those who live in the city and are not connected with physical labor?

Most of the problems with the human body arises from the banal laziness. Laziness in the mornings to spend ten minutes on gymnastics and a cool shower, laziness to walk on foot, instead of traveling in stuffy and crowded transport, too lazy to cook healthy food, it's easier to bite something quick, albeit not quite useful. Talk about jogging in the mornings and dousing with cold water is not even worth it. Most of the population of cities is lazy to visit fitness centers, which are located within walking distance. But the muscles of the back require constant training, and by a special set of exercises.

Spending your back for twenty minutes a day, especially in the evening hours, you can secure for a long time a strong muscular frame, which will not be afraid of errors in posture and strong physical activity. The necessary complex of exercises must be selected, according to individual physique, age indicators, health status. We should begin with a full examination of the body and obtain a medical opinion about the admissibility of physical exertion. Consultations with an orthopedist, a manual therapist and professional fitness instructors will help you decide on an effective set of exercises. Love the planned exercise, eat healthy foods, prefer movement, not passive leisure, do not look for answers to the question of why the back hurts, friends and acquaintances - move and be healthy.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.