Lower back pain is one of the most common and frustrating body ailments a lot of people has been exposed to. Knowing its cause is like being trapped in an upsetting puzzle due to the difficulty to trace the actual cause of the condition given that there are a lot of possible factors. Needless to say, you still have every reason to know a thing or two about the common lower back pain causes.

If your back pain started gradually, got worse and seemed unrelated to your level of activity, chances are lower back pain causes could be quite serious. You may have a problem with your spine, a collapse of your vertebrae, an infection, cancer or tuberculosis. Rare conditions that also trigger persistent lower back pain are shingles, congenital spinal defects, prostatitis-linked condition, fibromyalgia-linked condition, or any bone diseases. The reason why the different muscle groups inside our body work less smoother than before when we age is that an imbalance has been put into work. While one muscle gets stronger, the opposing muscle tends to get weaker. The consequence is that our joints, bones and spine are pulled. This activity also forces our body to work in a dysfunctional way, placing uneven and excessive strain and wear and tear on our spinal discs, cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles.

Ligament and muscle strains and sprains fall under the long list of lower back pain causes. Strains and sprains are the result of exercising, lifting or moving in an miscalculated way, such as what happens when you fall or trip or get in a car accident.

When a lower back pain is due to your exercise, the condition is typically called the ‘Weight lifter’s Back’ or Lumbar Strain. This is common to happen when you are swinging a club in golf, swinging a bat in baseball, turning suddenly to dribble after a rebound in basketball, pushing against an opposing lineman in football or snatching a heavy weight from the ground in weight lifting.

Pain is usually and commonly felt in the back but many can also experience pain in certain parts such as in the toes, feet, calves, thighs, or buttocks. The reason behind this is that when you have lower back pain, irritation from the sciatic nerve may tend to run down your legs. Weakness and numbness, along with pins and needles, are then felt.

There are also factors that may cause your lower back to be easily injured. Some of them are as follows:

* supporting muscles of the back is not strong

* the physical conditioning is poor

* poor posture

* being overweight

* lifting things, especially those that are heavy, improperly

* being tired

Other lower back pain causes:

* slouching in chairs

* coughing

* driving for long periods without a break

* driving in slouched or hunched position

* over-stretching

* sneezing

* bending awkwardly

* bending down or standing for long periods of time

* pushing, lifting or carrying heavy things incorrectly

* muscle-tension

* stress-related tension

* pregnancy

* gynecological problems (exclusive in women) such as pelvic inflammatory disease

* viral infections

* different types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis

* bone disorders

* osteoporosis

* bladder and kidney infections

* a fall

* a trip

* lack of exercise

* injury or trauma such as a fracture

* sleep disorder