Causes of Aching Backs

Causes of Aching Backs

Causes of Aching Backs

The human spine is as unique to our species as the opposable thumb and the highly developed cerebral cortex. But the spine is only part of the back - our backs also contain a network of muscles and nerves (which aren't housed inside the spinal cord), and our kidneys are located more towards the back than the front. We aren't surprised when we get aches and pains in other muscles and joints that are in constant use, so why should we be surprised when we suffer pains in our backs.Back pain can be roughly divided into two types: upper back pain and lower back pain. The upper back is the area from the base of the neck and the top of the shoulders down to just below the bottom of the ribs where the spine starts to curve in. Upper back pain has three main causes:* Tension. We talk about stress making us feel up tight - with good reason! When we are under stress, the muscles in our necks and shoulders tense and begin to hurt. This tension often seems to spread up the neck and even into the scalp.

* Poor posture. Bending over or slouching for a long period of time so the top of the back is arched makes the upper back ache.

* Muscle strain. Putting the muscles of the shoulder and upper back under unaccustomed strain makes them ache. This is probably the least common cause of upper back pain.Lower back pain is more complicated and has more causes. Back pain is very common, especially because the "lumbar plexus" (a "hub" for several major nerves)is located in the lower back before descending into the lower limbs. Lower back pain can be caused by any of the following: * Poor posture (again). Standing and especially sitting with bad posture puts excessive strain on the lower back and makes it hurt. The curve of your lower back (known as the "lumbar lordosis" should be supported. Contrary to what people used to be told, the solution is not to make your back as straight as a poker. The aim here is the golden mean - neither having a perfectly straight spine nor an excessive curve.

* Weak lower back muscles. If your lower back muscles (part of the group known as the "core muscle group") are weakened through lack of use, they tire easily and fail to keep our spines in the right place. One of the easiest ways of treating this type of lower back pain is to use exercises to work the muscles of the lower back.

* Poor lifting technique. This is the most common cause of acute lower back pain, also known as "putting your back out". Often, it's not a single instance of lifting one heavy thing that puts your back out. Usually, it's constant bad lifting that does the damage. For example, someone can spend most of the day lifting, say, house plants or crates with little more than a twinge of pain in the lower back - but at the end of the day, they try to pick up a cat using bad technique (again) and there goes their back! It's a case of the old saying "it's the last straw that broke the camel's back" - almost literally.

* Obesity. Carrying too much weight on the abdomen puts extra stress on the lumbar lordosis - gravity pulls down on the rolls of fat on the belly.

* Pregnancy: Lower back pain is a common complaint during pregnancy because the frontal position of the growing baby, plus all the amniotic fluid, etc. in the womb and abdomen pull forwards and down, putting stress on the lower back. A common home remedy for this type of lower back pain is to sit backwards on a chair, leaning on the back of the chair and sitting astride it.

* Urinary tract infections. The ureters (the tubes from the kidneys to the bladder) run down our backs,and if they become infected by a spreading bladder infection, they hurt and we experience it as acute lower back pain. The best way to treat this type of lower back pain is with a course of antibiotics.If you know why your back is hurting, it is straightforward to find the best way to treat your lower back pain. For example, for upper back pain caused by tension, the best way to treat it is with massage.

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