Lower back pain is something many people in the world experience at some point in their lives. No matter whether you are a teen or an adult, lower back pain can catch you. A study was conducted in 2010 to find out the global burden of diseases. In that study, lower back pain was listed top 10.
Back pain can be caused by sudden pulling of muscles and ligaments or extreme stretching of muscles supporting the back. The weakening of the spinal cord can also be a reason for sudden back pain. However, chronic back pain may be caused by a herniated disc or the tearing of soft tissues.
Many people feel pain in the lower back while sleeping during pregnancy, but there are times when you feel sharp lower back pain when bending over. Daily, we bend over many times to pick up things, but when you feel a sudden knifelike pain while bending, there is definitely a problem that needs attention.
This article will discuss different causes of sharp irritating pain in your lower back, along with their treatments.
CAUSES OF LOWER BACK PAIN
Back pain often occurs from something that we do in our daily lives while not paying attention to our postures. Some common causes of sudden sharp lower back pain include:
1) SACROILIAC JOINT DYSFUNCTION
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction causes pain in the lower back and buttocks. SI joint can become painful as a result of an accident, fall, or spine injury. Inflammation in this joint can cause sudden pain in the lower back while bending over.
Symptoms of Sacroiliac joint dysfunction can include uneasiness in the legs, numbness, sudden pain, difficulty in sitting down or standing up, weakness, and feeling of sharp pain that radiates from your hips up to the lower back.
2) LOW-GRADE DISC INJURY
People with strains on their lower back tend to feel a sudden sharp pain in their back when they bend over. That pain is usually caused by increased pressure on the front disc, and the muscles at the back start to stretch, leading to sudden sharp pain.
It becomes quite difficult to move or bend freely with a disc injury.
3) MUSCLE SPASM
Muscles can be injured or torn by excessive stretching or through other various activities. Fundamental damage or soft tissue injury in the spine is the leading cause of muscle spasms. Muscles spasm can injure the structure of joints, which ultimately causes extreme back pain while bending over.
Some common symptoms of lower back spasms include weakness in the lower back, tingling, sudden cramping sensations, and the feeling of tightening of back muscles.
4) ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is a process of wear and tear that can lead to pain and inflammation in a joint. Arthritis is mostly diagnosed in adults aged 60 years or older. Rheumatoid arthritis affects roughly 1% of the world’s population and is more common in women than men. It can be a leading cause of back pain.
Patients with arthritis may experience stiffness in joints, swelling, fatigue, and some people may have sleep disturbance. All of these symptoms can be the beginning of the presentation of rheumatoid arthritis.
TREATMENT FOR LOWER BACK PAIN
Bending forward and curving your back increases pressure and strain on your back muscles and ligaments. Over time, this can lead to pain and limited mobility.
Some of the steps we need to take in order to treat the lower back pain are:
1) FIX BODY POSTURE
Bad posture while sitting down or standing is the major cause of back problems. Slouching or hunched back can lead to back and joints pain. While bending, we need to maintain a neutral spine alignment while we hinge forward from the hip. This will protect the spine from injury.
Fixing our posture is one of the biggest solutions for treating back problems.
2) USE OF MEDICINES
Pain killers like Morphine or some anti-inflammatory drug such as Ibuprofen, Aspirin can help in relieving pain. However, long-term use of these medicines could be harmful and cause heart problems, kidney failure, and liver damage.
Patients should use these drugs with their doctor’s prescription.
3) TAKING SOME REST
Lie down for a day and get some rest to ease the discomfort. Yet, lying down for more than a day won’t help and make the muscles stiffer, which will increase the pain. So, limited rest is the best option in this case.
4) ICE AND HEAT REMEDY
Ice helps in reducing the swelling and pain that occurs after the injury. Use ice packs on your back for 10 – 20 minutes. It numbs the sore tissue and helps relieve the pain.
After getting rid of inflammation, switch to heat therapy. Heat improves the movement of muscles and stimulates blood circulation that improves the overall functioning of the back.
If you have chronic back pain or knee pain, try keeping the affected area warm with a hot water bag or a warm blanket. Use heat therapy regularly if you have persistent lower back pain.
5) LIGHT EXERCISE TO RELIEVE PAIN
With pain in our lower back, we may feel like resting and not moving our bodies much. But, that is very harmful to the joints as they can get stiff this way. The best way to keep your muscles moving is to do light exercise to strengthen your back, help you stay active, and maintain the flow of blood in the body.
6) STRETCH THE BACK AND ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
At some stage of our lives, most of us are going to get some form of lower back pain, whether acute or chronic. Some exercises can help us get over it.
Simple stretches and exercises can help improve flexibility and reduce muscle tension.
Foam Rolling
Foam rolling is very beneficial as it increases the flow of blood in the body that helps relieve lower back pain.
Lie with a foam roller on the lower back, supporting your spine. Allow the weight of your body to relax over the foam roller. Take long, deep breaths and allow the movement of your breathing to mobilize your spine.
Lower Back Rotations
The lower back rotational stretches can help reduce tension in the muscles and lubricate the lower back joints. It will lessen the lower and upper back pain and help to fix the posture.
Lay down in an elbow press position. Relax your elbows down towards the floor and keep your knees and feet together. Then, rotate your knee towards the right side and repeat the process towards the left side.
Knee to Chest
Knee-to-chest stretch helps relieve pressure on your spinal nerves. It is great for joint mobility.
Lie on the back and pull your knee towards the chest until you feel a comfortable stretch to the lower back. Maintain the stretch for about thirty seconds.
7) DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
Water is the main source of life. Up to 60% of the human body is water. Every organ in our body requires water in order to work properly. If the body does not get enough water, it will not work at its full potential and can even have serious consequences like dehydration that can cause stiffness in spinal muscles, leading to lower back pain.
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