It’s painful situation. Several structures in the lumbar spine can cause lower back pain, including the nerve roots that exit the spine, facet joints, intervertebral discs, vertebral bones, and the spinal muscles. Many lumbar spinal conditions are also interrelated. For example, a facet joint instability can lead to disc degeneration, which in turn can compress or irritate the nerve roots.

A muscle strain typically causes the muscle tissue to get abnormally pulled, overstretched, or torn due to heavy lifting, incorrect lifting, or repetitive use, such as from constant bending. Muscle strains can cause mild to severe pain and also result in associated lower back stiffness.

Acute back pain can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, while chronic back pain is pain that lasts longer than three months.

Muscles may also get deconditioned due to lack of physical activity or from a sedentary lifestyle, causing lower back pain.

SYMPTOMS

• pain when resting or sitting for long periods
  
  
• pain when lifting something heavy or bending down
  
  
• pain radiating from the glutes or hips
  
  
• stiffness after a period of inactivity or when first waking up
  
  
• numbness or weakness
  
  
• pain in the legs or feet as well as in the back
  
  
• unintentional weight loss
  
  
• lack of bowel control
  
  

Chronic back pain can affect your everyday life and can be incapacitating. Long term pain can have a negative impact on your ability to work and to engage in activities you once enjoyed. Even the simplest of tasks like doing the laundry or taking out the trash can be challenging when you suffer from chronic pain.