Acute lower back pain is nothing to mess with. It’s most often caused by an injury to the lower back, and it’s treatable and manageable if it’s caught early and treated correctly. This kind of pain is often present regularly, and it’s difficult to make the pain stop if you suffer from it. Some people notice their own acute lower back pain is mild to moderate, and others notice it’s severe and unrelenting. Regardless where you fall on this spectrum, you can have this treated in a way that allows you to find relief from pain.
Understanding the causes of acute lower back pain is complicated. It can happen when you fall, when you’re injured, when you tweak your back doing something completely typical, or from many other issues. It’s not uncommon for underlying health issues to cause lower back pain. If you notice your lower back hurts, it doesn’t mean you have acute lower back pain. It happens when women are pregnant, when they expect their menstrual cycle to begin in a few days, and low back pain can occur in anyone who is coming down with the flu.
1. Back Injury
Most acute lower back pain is caused by injury. That’s the good news. It’s not typically caused by underlying health issues that provide more to worry about than just your back pain. If your back hurts and you recently injured yourself or took part in an activity in which injury might occur, you might not worry as much as you would if you didn’t have any activity in your life recently. Most people notice their back pain when they lift heavy objects, play sports, or you are injured in a car accident or other accident.
There’s not much more you can do than consult your doctor if an injury is the cause of your lower back pain. Your doctor can refer you to a specialist for X-rays to see if there is any damage, prescribe pain medication if you did damage to your lower back, and even advise you to speak with a chiropractor or other professional able to help you combat your lower back pain. These should help your lower back pain, but you might always suffer from pain when you participate in certain activities following an injury to your lower back. It’s a situation you must discuss with your doctor if you’re concerned about your quality of life following any type of accident.
2. Muscle Spasm
Muscle spasms happen to almost everyone at some point in their life, and it’s not typically something to worry too much about. It is uncomfortable, but it happens most often when you injure yourself doing any heavy lifting and use improper stance to make it happen. It puts unnecessary strain on the ligaments in your lower back, which hurts your muscles. If you play golf or even participate in football, you’re more likely to notice spasms of this nature. Most spasms are treated with by alternating ice and heat to keep the muscles feeling good by increasing blood flow to the area.
3. Abnormal Aortic Aneurysm
If you’re not familiar with your aorta, it’s time to become familiar with it. It’s the main artery that stretches from your abdomen to your heart, and it can cause serious problems if it begins to weaken. If you feel lower back pain from this situation, it’s not good news. This situation only causes lower back pain when the artery has already ruptured. You won’t know this has occurred in your body until you notice pain in your abdomen or your back. It is imperative you speak to your doctor right away if you have sudden and unexplained low back and/or abdominal pain.
4. Kidney Infection
Kidney infection sounds dangerous, but it can just mean you have a bladder infection. That sounds less serious in medical terms. If bacteria enter your urethra, it’s not long before it also enters your bladder. This causes infection to set in, and it can be painful. The bacteria multiples fast, and your body simply doesn’t have the time or the ability to fight it off as quickly as it’s able to spread. This is where problems are caused. You’ll notice your urine is cloudy or bloody, you’re urinating frequently, and you feel pain when you urinate. It might not smell pleasant, either. If you notice this as well as lower back pain, call your doctor.
5. Endometriosis
Endometriosis is serious, and it’s more common than you might imagine. When uterine tissue begins growing in other parts of the body, it causes serious pain. Most women notice this pain when they are approaching or ending their menstrual cycle, before and after sexual intercourse, and anytime she is using the bathroom. It’s painful, it’s debilitating, and it can seriously change the quality of life for anyone who suffers from this. It also makes it difficult if not impossible for a woman to become pregnant, and it’s more likely to cause serious lower back pain than many other health conditions you might be living with.
6. Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer occurs in many women, and it’s difficult to learn of a diagnosis like this one. Cancer is a word no one ever wants to hear, and it’s scary. If you notice lower back pain that won’t go away, it could be a sign of this problem. Bloating and pelvic pain often accompany the lower back pain caused by ovarian cancer, and they are the most telltale signs of this health issues. If you’re worried this might be something you’re suffering from, call your doctor immediately. Cancer found and treated early provides better success and a higher quality of life when remission occurs.
7. Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are painful, and they must be treated right away. In addition to lower back pain you can’t seem to make go away, you’ll also notice vaginal bleeding that can be classified as heavy. You also notice pain in the pelvis, pelvic discomfort, ongoing bladder issues, and pressure in the rectum. There might also be a presence of pain before, during, and after sexual intercourse. Many of these symptoms are also related to other health issues with the body, and it’s important you don’t ignore these problems. They can cause serious damage if left untreated, and it’s always better to be safe than it is to be sorry.
8. Spine Curvatures
There are several different types of spine curvature problems a person can suffer from, and many of them are recognizable when described. Scoliosis, Lordosis, and kyphosis are just a few of the most well-known health problems related to spine curvature. These problems cause a lot of pain the lower back, and it’s difficult to live like this. They occur when the spine curves a way it’s not meant to curve, and each one represents a different direction of curvature. The back pain associated with a curved spine is serious, and you must speak to your doctor about treatment options immediately.
9. Herniated Disk
A herniated disk is a problem, but it’s a short-lived problem. The pain caused by this issue lasts around 6 weeks, and it typically clears up on its own. It’s caused when you herniate a dish, which then applies undue pressure to the nerve in your back. The pressure can cause the nerve to suffer serious inflammation, and it might also cause additional problems such as leg pain and sciatica. No one wants to live with this kind of pain, but it is short-lived. It’s still wise to contact the doctor to discuss the problem if you suspect you’re suffering from a herniated disk. Your doctor can prescribe remedies or medication, and he or she can help you prevent further injury to your back.
10. Sciatica
Sciatica is caused when any of the nerve roots in the back suffer irritation of any sort. That pain is then able to travel throughout the body causing not only back pain but also leg pain. It’s difficult and uncomfortable, but it’s not always present. The pain is typically a shooting pain that shows up unexpectedly. While it’s preferable to constant pain, the shooting pain caused by sciatica is often unbearable and difficult to live with. You aren’t required to live like this forever, though. Your doctor can help you with treatment and pain management.
