Low Back Pain - Cause

Cause

The majority of lower back pain stems from benign musculoskeletal problems, and are referred to as non specific low back pain; this type may be due to muscle or soft tissues sprain or strain, particularly in instances where pain arose suddenly during physical loading of the back, with the pain lateral to the spine. Over 99% of back pain instances fall within this category. The full differential diagnosis includes many other less common conditions.

• Mechanical:
  • Apophyseal osteoarthritis
  • Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
  • Degenerative discs
  • Scheuermann's kyphosis
  • Spinal disc herniation ("slipped disc")
  • Thoracic or lumbar spinal stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis and other congenital abnormalities
  • Fractures
  • Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
  • Leg length difference
  • Restricted hip motion
  • Misaligned pelvis - pelvic obliquity, anteversion or retroversion
  • Abnormal Foot Pronation

• Inflammatory:
  • Seronegative spondylarthritides (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Infection - epidural abscess or osteomyelitis
  • Sacroiliitis

• Neoplastic:
  • Bone tumors (primary or metastatic)
  • Intradural spinal tumors

• Metabolic:
  • Osteoporotic fractures
  • Osteomalacia
  • Ochronosis
  • Chondrocalcinosis

• Psychosomatic
  • Tension myositis syndrome

• Paget's disease

• Referred pain:
  • Pelvic/abdominal disease
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Posture

• Depression
• Oxygen deprivation