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Sciatica, herniated disc, low back pain… What is the origin of my back pain?

Mechanical back pain

Typically, back pain is related to so-called "mechanical" back pain. Back pain has negative effects in your daily life, as it can disrupt your sleep, movement, etc. Mechanical back pain is very often caused by poor posture, heavy lifting, excessive physical exertion or a wrong movement. Lumbago is the most acute form of back pain. The pain is dazzling with blockage of the back. Lumbago is caused by a false movement or an intense effort. Common low back pain, pain in the lower back, is caused by a problem with the spine. In 90% of cases, they are linked to a muscular problem or an anatomical lesion such as wear of the intervertebral disc or the posterior joints. Sciatica is very common and affects anyone at any age. It corresponds to an inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica goes hand in hand with the herniated disc which appears following a violent effort such as carrying a heavy load. The intervertebral disc breaks and its nucleus comes out. The pain can then be radiating and descend into the buttocks and into the leg.

Inflammatory back pain

For one in twenty people, back pain can be of inflammatory origin. If it is important to treat back pain of mechanical origin, it is essential to monitor back pain of inflammatory origin. Generally, back pain of inflammatory origin lasts more than three months and affects people under the age of 45. The pain is progressive and lessens with exercise. The pain is especially sharp at night or in the morning with morning stiffness, and subsides during the day. Indeed, these are often the consequence of a condition, autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory disc disease, inflammatory rheumatism (arthritis or axial spondylitis). However, in the case of back pain of inflammatory origin, it is difficult to diagnose the disease causing the pain; some patients know the diagnosis only after a decade. To relieve inflammatory back pain, the doctor usually prescribes an anti-inflammatory and follow-up with a physiotherapist. Strength exercises for the back are also essential to help reduce pain.