Acute Low Back Pain (Acute Lumbago)

Back pain is the second complain in the world that entails seeking medical advice after headache. 80% of people suffer from back pain at least once in their lifetime. Back pain comes after heart diseases as chronic diseases in the developed societies. It also comes fifth in diseases that are treated with surgery. It is seen in men and women with the same frequency. It is mostly seen between ages of 30-50. Labor losses due to back pain bring a great burden to the national economy. The risk of back pain occurrence based on spinal diseases increases by age.

The term “acute low back pain” is used for pains that start suddenly or over the last six weeks. The pain lasts between few days and few weeks. 90% of low back pains are acute.

Pains that last for more than 3 months are regarded as chronic low back pain. It constitutes 10% of the total experienced low back pains. It needs to be analyzed further in case of an underlying cause.

Although an acute low back pain may have a variety of causes, 90% of the incidences have mechanical causes i.e. causes that are based on musculoskeletal system. The source of pain is generally the improper stretching of muscles, tendons that support our lower back.

Mechanical low back pain tends to increase by physical activities and decrease by rest. Some causes for mechanical low back pain are smoking, lifting heavy objects, being overweight or overactive, sports injuries, muscle spasm, muscle weakness due to a lack of physical activity, poor posture or sitting for long periods. The pain is often described as fulgurating or burning. It does not spread to legs.

Acute low back pain usually decreases within few days and ends within few weeks. It is mostly not possible to define the exact cause of pain. The cause can only be diagnosed by the medical history of patient and clinical examination. Laboratory or radiologic analyses are unlikely to help in the diagnosis.

Preventing low back pain can be possible by some little but effective precautions. Lifting things properly, not-smoking, getting rid of extra kilos, sitting properly and working out regularly are examples of these precautions.