Causes and Risk Factors of Back Pain or Backache

1. Discogenic Back Pain: Bulged disc, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease can cause severe back pain or backache.⁽¹⁾
2. Musculoskeletal Back Pain: Facet joint pain, para vertebral muscle spasm can also cause pain in the back.
3. Back Pain Caused by Infection: Discitis, facet joint arthritis and osteomyelitis.
4. Injuries or Traumatic Back Pain: Whiplash injury after automobile accident or a fall may cause back pain
5. Fracture:
   • Fracture of vertebrae, facet joint, lamina, transverse process or spinous process causes back pain.⁽²⁾
   • Tear and Sprain of synovial membrane, ligaments and muscles can result in backache.
6. Dislocation Resulting in Back Pain: Person can experience pain in the back if there is dislocation of facet joint.
7. Back Pain Caused By Metastasis: Primary Cancer of the breast, lung or prostate are known to cause backache.
8. Bone Disease: Medical conditions like osteoporosis, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and spinal stenosis can cause chronic back pain.
9. Systemic Disease: One can have acute or chronic back pain if they have endometriosis, kidney disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and muscle pain.
10. Failed Back Syndrome: Pain may persist after back surgery secondary to following causes:
    • Recurrent disc herniation.
    • Surgical injuries to facet joint.
    • Facet Joint: Hyper mobility, joint instability.
    • Muscular Deconditioning.
    • Fibrotic scar tissue of surrounding nerves, ligaments, muscles and joint.
11. Pregnancy: There can be chronic low back pain during pregnancy secondary to following causes
    1. Stretching of the ligaments and muscles within the pelvis.
    2. Nerve irritation.

• Diabetes, type 2.
• Obesity
• Stress: Physical and emotional stress secondary to family and job dissatisfaction can be a factor for back pain.
• Pregnancy: Pregnant women are much more likely to experience backache.⁽³⁾
• Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise is known to be a factor for back pain.
• Age – Older adults are more susceptible to back pain than young adults or children.
• Gender – Back pain is more common among females than males.
• Smoking: It can not only cause cancer, but can also cause back pain.
• Strenuous physical exercise (especially if not done properly) or work: Lifting heavy weights in wrong posture can cause injury to the back.
• Peripheral vascular disease.

References:  

Also Read:

• Classification and Types of Back Pain or Backache
• Signs and Symptoms of Back Pain or Backache
• Tests to Diagnose Back Pain or Backache
• Pathophysiology of Back Pain or Backache