LUMBAGO

Low back pain (or lumbago) is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their life.
The term lumbago is not a medical diagnosis in a strict sense. It describes however an illness condition. Under the term lumbago, one understands a sudden, severe back pain of the lumbar vertebrae that leads to an inability to move. The pain can be acute or chronic and affects young and old people.

Causes-
There can be many precipitating causes for backache. In the majority of cases, it is impossible to identify the exact cause of backache. Still in 25% of cases, however, it is possible to identify the cause. They are listed below-
1. Herniated Disc (sometimes called a slipped disc)
2. Osteoarthritis or Spondylosis (spinal arthritis)
3. Osteoporosis (brittle bone disease, spinal fracture)
4. Rheumatoid Arthritis (progressive, sometimes destructive arthritis)
5. Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine to the left or right)
6. Spinal Stenosis (compression of the spinal nerves)
7. Spinal Tumor (benign or malignant/cancer)
8. Injury
9. Bad posture

Symptoms-

• Pain across the lower part of the back that sometimes radiates into the buttocks, the back of the thigh or to the groin. The pain is usually worse on movement.
• Limitation in movement of the spine - especially bending forward and leaning back.
• Tense spasm of the muscles surrounding the spine and causing a stiff back.
• With severe pain and spasm, the back may tilt to one side causing a change in posture.
• The pain is sometimes accompanied by a tingling sensation or numbness in the back or buttocks or leg.