Pain felt in your lower back may come from the spine, muscles, nerves, or other structures in that region of your back. It may also radiate from other areas like your mid or upper back, a hernia in the groin, or a problem in the testicles or ovaries. While such pain or discomfort can happen anywhere in your back, the most common area affected is your low back. This is because the low back supports most of your body's weight.

You may feel a variety of symptoms if you hurt your back. You may have a tingling or burning sensation, a dull aching, or sharp pain. You also may experience weakness in your legs or feet. It won't necessarily be one event that actually causes your pain. You may have been doing many things improperly, then suddenly, one simple movement, like reaching for something in the shower or bending from your waist, leads to the feeling of pain.

Low back pain is the #2 reason that Americans see their doctor. Many back-related injuries happen at work. But there are many things you can do to lower your chances of getting back pain. Most back problems will get better on their own. The key is to know when you need to seek medical help and when self-care measures alone will allow you to get better. Low back pain may be acute (short-term), lasting less than one month, or chronic (long-term, continuous, ongoing), lasting longer than three months. While getting acute back pain more than once is common, continuous long-term pain is not.

Low Back Pain Causes

You'll usually first feel back pain just after you lift a heavy object, move suddenly, sit in one position for a long time, or have an injury. But prior to that moment in time, the structures in your back may be losing strength or integrity. There are several possible sources of low back pain:

Muscle spasm
Small fractures to the spine from osteoporosis
Degeneration of the disks
Ruptured or herniated disk
Strain or tears to the muscles or ligaments supporting the back
Poor alignment of the vertebrae
Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
Spine curvatures (like scoliosis or kyphosis) which may be inherited and seen in children or teens

Particular risk for low back pain:

Work in construction or another job requiring heavy lifting, lots of bending and twisting, or whole body vibration
Smoke, don't exercise, or are overweight
Have bad posture
Have arthritis or osteoporosis
Have a low pain threshold

Care & Prevention

Many people will feel better within one week after the start of back pain. After another 4-6 weeks, the back pain will likely be completely gone. A common misconception about back pain is that you need to rest and avoid activity for a long time. In fact, bed rest is NOT recommended. If you have no indication of a serious underlying cause for your back pain (serious medical condition), then you should reduce physical activity only for the first couple of days. Gradually resume your usual activities after that.

Stop normal physical activity for the first few days. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce inflammation.
Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Try ice for the first 48-72 hours, then use heat after that.
While sleeping, try lying in a curled-up, fetal position with a pillow between your legs. If you usually sleep on your back, place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees to relieve pressure.
Do not perform activities that involve heavy lifting or twisting of your back for the first 6 weeks after the pain begins.

Avoid the following exercises during initial recovery unless your doctor or physical therapist says it is okay:

Jogging
Football
Golf
Ballet
Weight lifting
Leg lifts when lying on your stomach
Sit-ups with straight legs (rather than bent knees)

To prevent back pain, it is also very important to learn to lift and bend properly:

If an object is too heavy or awkward, get help; spread your feet apart to give a wide base of support; stand as close to the object you are lifting as possible; bend at your knees, not at your waist; as you stand up with the object, DO NOT bend forward; DO NOT twist while you are bending for the object, lifting it up, or carrying it.
Avoid standing for long periods of time. If you must for your work, try using a stool.
When sitting for work, especially if using a computer, make sure that your chair has a straight back with adjustable seat and back, armrests, and a swivel seat.
Use a stool under your feet while sitting so that your knees are higher than your hips.
Place a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back while sitting or driving for long periods of time.
If you drive long distance, stop and walk around every hour. Bring your seat as far forward as possible to avoid bending. Don't lift heavy objects just after a ride.

Although back pain is common, it's also quite possible for you to prevent most back problems with simple steps such as exercise and adopting new ways to sit and stand. Even if you've injured your back before, you can learn techniques to help avoid recurrent injuries.

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