Low Back Pain

What is the cause of low back pain? Low back pain can be caused by a number of different conditions, including:

Arthritis — inflammation of the facet joints between the vertebrae due to disease process or wear-and-tear
Facet Joint Syndrome — destruction of the bony surfaces of a facet joint due to disease (such as osteoarthritis), wear-and-tear, too much weight on the joint, or injury
Pinched Nerve (radiculopathy — rubbing, pressure, or other irritation on a nerve in the spine
Sciatica — a pinched sciatic nerve, which runs from the lumbar spine into the buttocks, back of the thighs, and sometimes to the calf and foot
Spinal Stenosis [link to spinal stenosis]– narrowing of a part of the spinal canal, which can cause nerve irritation and reduce oxygen and blood supply to the spinal cord
Bulging Disc — usually due to wear-and-tear, and may lead to narrowing of the spinal canal
Herniated disc [link to herniated disc]– damage to the outer surface of a disc allowing the soft inner material of the disc to press out of its normal space, usually occurs in the lumbar spine
Segmental Instability — excess movement between two vertebrae, causing pinching or irritation of the nerve roots