What conditions cause lower back pain?

Lower back pain can develop through wear-and-tear, overuse, trauma, or other injuries to your back. After the first couple of weeks of acute pain, lower back pain that lingers or gets worse is considered chronic lower back pain.

Possible causes of your lower back pain might be:

• Lumbar facet syndrome
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Sprains and strains
• Lumbar radiculopathy
• Sciatica
• Disc herniations
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Bone spurs
• Fractures
• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis

In many cases, lower back pain resolves on its own within 4-6 weeks. If you need to recover faster or get treatment for chronic pain that’s lasted more than three months, Elite Integrative Medical offers rehabilitation and other non-surgical services to help.

Why does inflammation cause lower back pain?

In most cases of chronic lower back pain, inflammation can increase the severity and duration of your pain. When your body’s tissues are injured, your body produces a variety of chemicals to address the injury. Some of these chemicals create inflammation in order to trigger healing.

If your body doesn’t heal on its own, these inflammatory chemicals can linger in the area and cause swelling, stiffness, and pain. Your primary care doctor may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications to address the inflammation, but they don’t address the underlying injury the way that integrative medicine techniques might.

How is lower back pain diagnosed?

To diagnose the cause of your lower back pain, your provider begins with a thorough medical history and physical exam. During your exam, they take you through different movements to check your flexibility, muscle strength, and joint function.

Your provider may refer you for X-rays or an MRI, if appropriate. Based on your exam, they determine your diagnosis and treatment plan.