Many people associate back pain with carrying heavy loads, strained lifting, or overworking the back and hip muscles. Some think of back pain as being only the result of an accident or fall. What many don’t realize is that back pain could simply be due to bad habits while you sleep.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Back Pain

For those who have felt back pain, they describe it in so many ways.  Some say that what they feel in their back and surrounding areas include: 

• Muscle ache
• Stabbing pain
• Shooting pain
• Pain that seems to flow or radiate from the hips and down each leg
• Body stiffness 
• Reduced range of motion
• Loss of flexibility

Along our spinal column, there are spongy pads or discs in between the vertebrae. The discs act as shock absorbers whenever the body is moving and carrying a load. Over time, however, a disc may become degraded, and a rupture occurs. This rupture or bulge can come into contact with a nerve, which creates excruciating pain. There are also cases without obvious pain, but a bulging disc might give you tingling sensations or numbness.

• Muscle Strain or Ligament Tear

While our muscles and ligaments have a structure that enables them to carry weight many times their mass and size, strains and tears do happen. As it lifts weighty loads, sudden jerks of the body can produce these kinds of minor to moderately severe injuries. 

• Osteoarthritis

This refers to the degeneration of joints of the body, resulting in stiffness and pain. Even the hip joints and other bony parts of the lower back can experience this kind of condition.

• Osteoporosis

This condition generally refers to the weakening of the bones in our body. Once the bones become porous or lose their density, they can become more prone to injury. 

• Other Bone Problems

There are many other bones or skeleton-related conditions that can cause back pain.  For example, scoliosis is one of the most common reasons people experience painful backs. In some scoliosis cases, nerve impingement happens as the spine unnaturally makes a curve beyond its original shape.

In some instances, no pain is felt by the person with scoliosis, but posture is often highly compromised. The spine’s compromised curvature causes muscle and ligament tension plus possible nerve compression. The unnatural curve could lead to pain or result in terrible posture, aching bones and muscles, and pressure on some body organs. 

If you are experiencing pain, call us at Chattanooga Integrated Medicine Center for an appointment today!

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