Chronic Lower Back Pain


Chronic lower back pain is back pain that is persistent and may be caused by any of a number of factors. Chronic lower back pain may be a serious backache or mild; it may have a cause that is reason for concern (e.g., cancer) or not (e.g., pregnancy).

A medical practitioner is the best person to advise any sufferer of chronic lower back pain of the reasons for the pain and the best way to manage and/or treat the pain.

Some of the possible causes of chronic lower back pain include: back strain or sprain; after excessive or unaccustomed exertion; a slipped disc or other disc disorder; poor posture; muscle injury; an accident; arthritis; disease.

It is interesting, albeit a little frightening and sometimes even misleading, to note that there are many diseases and disorders that have back pain as a minor or major symptom.

Chronic lower back pain may be a symptom of cancer, rickets, meningitis, osteoporosis, Addison’s disease, pancreatitis, Rift Valley fever, urinary tract infections, renal colic, kidney stones, heart problems, gallstones … even depression.

Of course it may also be a symptom of pregnancy.

The small selection above is not meant to frighten the sufferer of chronic lower back pain, but point out that the first priority is to diagnose the cause of the pain correctly. Only a medical health practitioner can do this correctly and efficiently.

After diagnosing a patient’s chronic lower back pain, the next step is to either treat and/or manage it. In some instances, chronic lower back pain may be symptomatic of a condition that needs to be treated separately from the back pain. Cure for chronic lower back pain condition may be contingent on cure for another condition. When the root cause of the problem is diagnosed, an easing of back pain will occur naturally.

In the case of chronic lower back pain in pregnant or menstruating women or if a patient is depressed, a back pain management program must be worked out. This may include diet, exercise, physical therapy and medication.

Remember, any form of persistent pain, including chronic lower back pain and broken hearts, should always be referred to a doctor or specialist.

Where there is no underlying cause for chronic lower back pain, it is entirely possible there is no underlying cause. Modern pain theories suggest pain needs to be treated as a pathology in itself.

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