Your back is a complex structure made up of bones, muscles, nerves and joints, so pinpointing the exact cause of the pain can often be difficult.However, most cases of back pain are not caused by serious damage or disease but by sprains, minor strains, minor injuries or a pinched or irritated nerve.Back pain can be triggered by everyday activities at home and at work, or it can develop gradually over time as a result of sitting, standing or lifting badly. Back pain causes include:bending awkwardlylifting, carrying, pushing or pulling incorrectlyslouching in chairsstanding or bending down for long periodstwistingover-stretchingdriving in a hunched positiondriving for long periods without taking a breakoveruse of the muscles, usually due to sport or repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury)Sometimes the pain develops suddenly for no apparent reason. Some people just wake up one morning with back pain and have no idea what has caused it.Risk factorsSome risk factors increase the risk of developing back pain. These include:Being overweight – the extra weight puts pressure on the spine. Use the healthy weight BMI calculator to find out if you need to lose weight.Smoking – this could be due to tissue damage in the back caused by smoking or the fact that smokers tend to have unhealthier lifestyles than non-smokers. Get help quitting.Being pregnant – the excess weight of carrying a baby can place additional strain on the back.Long-term use of medication that is known to weaken bones, such as corticosteroids.Stress – it is thought that stress can cause tension in the muscles of the back, which can result in back pain.Depression – back pain can make people feel depressed, which can sometimes result in weight gain leading to more severe pain and worsening depression.Find out about medical tests for back pain.In a small number of cases, back pain is caused by a specific medical condition. These conditions include:neck painwhiplashshoulder painfrozen shoulderankylosing spondylitisslipped discsciaticaNow read about treating back pain.Bladder: The bladder is a small organ near the pelvis that holds urine until it is ready to be passed from the body.Kidney: Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located at the back of the abdomen that remove waste and extra fluid from the blood and pass them out of the body as urine.Obesity: Obesity is when a person has an abnormally high amount of body fat.Spine:The spine supports the skeleton, and surrounds and protects the delicate spinal cord and nerves. It is made up of 33 bones called the vertebrae. Google+ Causes of back pain
Your back is a complex structure made up of bones, muscles, nerves and joints, so pinpointing the exact cause of the pain can often be difficult.
However, most cases of back pain are not caused by serious damage or disease but by sprains, minor strains, minor injuries or a pinched or irritated nerve.
Back pain can be triggered by everyday activities at home and at work, or it can develop gradually over time as a result of sitting, standing or lifting badly. Back pain causes include:
Sometimes the pain develops suddenly for no apparent reason. Some people just wake up one morning with back pain and have no idea what has caused it.
Risk factors
Some risk factors increase the risk of developing back pain. These include:
Find out about medical tests for back pain.
In a small number of cases, back pain is caused by a specific medical condition. These conditions include:
Now read about treating back pain.
Bladder: The bladder is a small organ near the pelvis that holds urine until it is ready to be passed from the body.Kidney: Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located at the back of the abdomen that remove waste and extra fluid from the blood and pass them out of the body as urine.Obesity: Obesity is when a person has an abnormally high amount of body fat.Spine:The spine supports the skeleton, and surrounds and protects the delicate spinal cord and nerves. It is made up of 33 bones called the vertebrae.
