Low back pain is the biggest reason for doctor visits in America and a leading cause of missed time. There can be many causes of low back pain but here are the most common ones.

• Muscle Spasms: Muscle spasms are a common cause of an ache-like low back pain. It can be severe enough to cause difficulty in movements or breathing. These may be caused due to an involuntary, sustained contraction in the muscles due to inflammation and pain.

Common causes of muscle spasms include –
o Stress
o Dehydration
o excessive caffeine or alcohol consumption
o poor posture
o lack of proper sleep
o wearing poorly designed shoes
o sudden or repetitive muscle movements
o muscle injury/strains
o a viral illness
o disorders originating near the spine, such as facet arthritis or herniated discs

In addition to lifestyle modification, treatment options include rest, applying heat, stretching, massage therapy, NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, and trigger point injections.

• Herniated Discs: Intervertebral discs in the spine may herniate after a car accident, an injury related to heavy lifting, or due to natural wear and tear and gradual degeneration. Herniated discs can cause mild to severe pain in the low back, which may radiate down the leg. Sometimes, it may cause numbness, tingling, or weakness in the leg.

You can prevent this condition by maintaining good posture while sitting, lifting objects by bending at the knees and not your back, and avoiding heavy straining while using the bathroom. Common treatment options include NSAIDs, physical therapy, losing excessive weight, and epidural steroid injections.

• Lumbar Facet Syndrome: Caused due to arthritis in the small joints of the low back, lumbar facet syndrome can lead to pain in the sides of the low back, which may radiate to the buttocks. The pain may worsen if you lean back or twist.

Facet pain may result from gradual wear and tear of the facet joints or after an acute injury. Other contributing factors may include obesity, smoking, osteoarthritis, and poor posture. Treatment options include NSAIDs, physical therapy, weight loss, and facet joint injections.

• Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Sacroiliac or SI joint pain leads to a dull ache pain where the low back and buttocks meet. The pain may also radiate to the back of the thighs, hip or groin and worsens after prolonged standing or sitting. Sacroiliac joint pain is caused due to inflammation or arthritis of SI joint due to daily wear and tear, trauma, osteoarthritis, pregnancy, or certain autoimmune diseases.

Treatment options include NSAIDs, physical therapy, improved posture, losing extra weight, SI joint injections and SI nerve ablations.

If you are looking for pain management doctors, talk to restorative pain management doctors in San Diego, call Pacific Medical Care at (619) 333-8114. Pacific Medical Care provides a wide range of healthcare services, and first-rate care to treat the whole patient. Over the past two decades, Pacific Medical Care has expanded their services to optimize your health with a visionary approach of offering expert, customized care.