There are many people that suffer from lower back pain and it is one of those conditions that anyone can suffer from being especially common to most Americans. It can result in becoming disabled and not being able to perform one’s job related chores, and in fact, is believed to the topmost reason why Americans are becoming disabled at work. In fact, the number of people that cite lower back pain as an excuse to miss work is simply staggering, and it also ranks above the rest as a reason to visit the doctor.

Over Fifty Billion Dollars Is Being Spent Annually On Research To Find The Causes

Today, much research is ongoing on the topic of what the cause of lower back pain really is and there have been spent, it is believed, as many as fifty billion dollars annually and more on finding the cause of lower back pain. No doubt, some of the causes are already to known to mankind; however, much research is still needed to find the causes that have not yet been ascertained for which diagnosis has yet to be made and which nevertheless is very real and causes patients a great deal of pain.

You will often hear the word lumbago mentioned in the same breath as lower back pain and the two are one and the same. Lower back pain may occur at any time and at any age and there are also common causes of lower back pain, some of which are known and many are yet to be found. Perhaps the leading cause of lower back pain is muscle strain that may occur after lifting a heavy object, or come about because of a quick movement, or even be a result of falling.

Another cause of lower back pain is herniated disc. The spine has discs that act as shock absorbers which will protect the bone as we move about. A disc that slips forward in the lower back can cause a lot of pain in the lower back and may become especially worse after having stood or sat for prolonged periods of time.

Degenerative disc disease is another condition that can be thought of as being a cause of lower back pain, and this condition is a kind of arthritis in which the cartilage between the joints gets broken down and the consequent lack of cartilage will result in lower back pain that is mostly felt in the mornings and in the evening.

Besides these common causes of lower back pain, you may also experience lower back pain because of being obese, being stressed, or due to sleeping on an uncomfortable bed as well as sleeping in a position that can result in lower back pain. Smoking too can cause lower back pain since it reduces the amount of blood flowing to the lower spine and thus results in disc degeneration. Finally, you can also think of little or no regular exercise as being yet another cause of lower back pain.