Lumbago

Lumbago describes low back pain or discomfort. The pain can be described as acute, lasting from a few days to a few weeks, or chronic, lasting for months or longer.

Symptoms:

• Muscle ache
• Shooting or stabbing pain
• Pain that radiates into the buttocks, the back of the thigh, or to the groin
• Limited flexibility or range of motion of the back
• Inability to stand straight
• Muscular spasm surrounding the spine causing the back to feel stiff and sore
• Tingling sensation or numbness in the back, buttocks, or leg
• Pain aggravated during movement, including bending forward, backward, side-to-side, or while rotating

Common causes:

• Strained muscles and ligaments - resulting after a sudden awkward movement or from improper or heavy lifting
• Bulging or ruptured disks - the soft material inside a disk may bulge out of place or rupture and add pressure to a nerve
• Sciatica - sharp, shooting pain through the buttock and back of the leg caused by a herniated disk pressing on nerves that travels down the leg
• Stenosis - narrowing of the space around the spinal cord
• Osteoporosis - compression fractures of the spine's vertebrae can occur if bones become porous and brittle
• Skeletal irregularities - abnormal spinal curvature where the upper back may be rounded or lower back may arch excessively

Risk Factor:

• Smoking
• Obesity
• Older age
• Physically strenuous work
• Sedentary work
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Muscle imbalances
• Core weakness
• Improper ergonomics
• Maintaining incorrect posture