Low Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems and can affect everything from sitting and sleeping to walking, working and exercising. Some episodes develop suddenly after lifting, twisting or an injury, while others appear gradually or persist for months.

Lower back pain can originate from muscles, joints, discs, nerves and other structures in and around the lumbar spine. In many cases, however, a single specific structural cause cannot be identified. Even abnormalities seen on imaging do not necessarily explain a person’s pain. Mayo Clinic notes that bulging or ruptured discs, for example, can be found on imaging without causing back pain.

Elite Sports Medicine evaluates low back pain to determine what may be contributing to a patient’s symptoms and whether conservative chiropractic and rehabilitative care is appropriate. Treatment is individualized according to the patient’s symptoms, mobility, function, activity level and recovery goals.

What Causes Low Back Pain?

Low back pain can have many potential causes.

Common musculoskeletal causes and contributing conditions include:

• Muscle or ligament strains
• Repetitive lifting or overuse
• Herniated or bulging discs
• Degenerative changes and arthritis
• Sciatica and nerve irritation
• Restricted spinal or joint mobility
• Sports injuries
• Falls and other trauma
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Certain prolonged or repetitive activities

Muscle and ligament strains can occur after heavy lifting or sudden awkward movement. Disc problems, arthritis and other spinal conditions can also contribute to symptoms.

Sometimes back pain develops without one clearly identifiable structural cause. That’s one reason an evaluation should consider the patient’s symptoms and function rather than assuming that every case of low back pain is caused by a spinal “misalignment.”

What Does Low Back Pain Feel Like?

Low back pain can feel very different from one person to another.

Symptoms may include:

• Dull or aching pain across the lower back
• Sharp pain with certain movements
• Muscle tightness or stiffness
• Reduced ability to bend or twist
• Pain when standing after prolonged sitting
• Pain during lifting
• Pain extending into the buttock
• Pain traveling into the leg
• Numbness or tingling when nerves are involved
• Muscle weakness in some nerve-related conditions

The location and behavior of the symptoms can provide important clues about their source.

Pain that remains localized to the lower back may have a different cause than pain that radiates through the buttock and leg. Similarly, numbness, tingling or weakness can suggest neurological involvement that requires additional evaluation.

What Is the Difference Between Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain?

Acute low back pain begins relatively recently and often follows an injury, unusual activity or sudden movement, although an obvious cause isn’t always present.

Chronic low back pain persists for a longer period and can involve a combination of physical, neurological and other factors. Chronic pain isn’t necessarily evidence that the back remains structurally damaged.

The distinction matters because treatment and rehabilitation may differ. A recent back strain and persistent low back pain lasting for months shouldn’t automatically receive identical treatment.

Can a Herniated Disc Cause Lower Back Pain?

Yes, but a herniated disc doesn’t always cause symptoms.

The discs between the vertebrae act as cushions within the spine. When disc material bulges or herniates, it can sometimes irritate or compress nearby nerve tissue and contribute to back or leg symptoms.

However, disc abnormalities are also found in people without back pain. Mayo Clinic specifically notes that a bulging or ruptured disc may be present without causing symptoms.

This is important because an MRI finding shouldn’t automatically be assumed to explain everything a patient is experiencing. Symptoms, physical examination findings and imaging, when appropriate, need to be considered together.

Patients with suspected disc-related pain can learn more about herniated and slipped discs.

Is Low Back Pain the Same as Sciatica?

No.

Low back pain describes pain in the lumbar region. Sciatica refers to symptoms associated with irritation or compression involving the sciatic nerve or its nerve roots and typically causes pain that travels from the lower back or buttock into the leg.

Sciatica can also involve numbness, tingling or weakness.

A person can have low back pain without sciatica, and someone with sciatica may experience significant leg symptoms with relatively little back pain.

Learn more about sciatica symptoms and treatment.

Can Sitting Cause Lower Back Pain?

Prolonged sitting can aggravate low back pain in some people, particularly when the back remains in one position for long periods.

But it is overly simplistic to say that poor posture alone causes most low back pain. Back pain is often multifactorial, and different people tolerate positions and activities differently.

For someone whose symptoms worsen while working at a desk, strategies may include changing positions regularly, taking movement breaks, adjusting the workstation and gradually improving strength and tolerance for sitting.

The objective isn’t to maintain one supposedly “perfect” posture all day. Movement and the ability to comfortably vary positions are important too.

Can a Chiropractor Help with Low Back Pain?

Chiropractic care can be an appropriate conservative treatment option for certain types of low back pain.

Spinal manipulation is among the non-drug treatments used for low back pain, although it should be considered as part of an overall treatment approach rather than as a method for putting a supposedly misaligned spine back into place.

At Elite Sports Medicine, a low back pain evaluation may consider spinal mobility, muscle function, strength, neurological symptoms, movement patterns, previous injuries and the activities that reproduce or relieve symptoms.

Depending on those findings, treatment may include spinal manipulation or mobilization, soft tissue therapy, therapeutic exercise and other chiropractic treatments.

How Does Elite Sports Medicine Treat Low Back Pain?

Treatment begins with determining what type of low back pain the patient is experiencing and whether conservative care is appropriate.

Depending on the examination findings, treatment may include:

Spinal manipulation or mobilization: Manual therapy may be used to improve movement and help reduce symptoms in appropriate patients.

Soft tissue therapy: Treatment may address painful or restricted muscles and surrounding soft tissues.

Mobility exercises: Appropriate exercises may help restore comfortable movement in the lumbar spine, hips and surrounding areas.

Progressive strengthening: Rehabilitation may strengthen the trunk, hips and other muscles involved in supporting everyday movement.

Movement and activity modification: Lifting, sitting, work activities, exercise or sports movements may be evaluated when they repeatedly aggravate symptoms.

Education and self-management: Understanding which activities are safe and how to progressively return to normal movement can be an important part of recovery.

Treatment is individualized rather than using the same adjustment or predetermined number of visits for every person with back pain.

Is Exercise Good for Low Back Pain?

For many people, remaining appropriately active is preferable to prolonged bed rest.

Mayo Clinic specifically notes that bed rest isn’t recommended for most back pain.

Exercise may be used to improve mobility, strength, endurance and confidence with movement. Depending on the patient’s condition, rehabilitation can include trunk strengthening, hip exercises, mobility work and a gradual return to normal activities.

The right program depends on the individual. Someone recovering from an acute strain may require a different starting point than someone who has experienced recurring low back pain for several years.

Do You Need an MRI for Low Back Pain?

Not necessarily.

Imaging can be valuable when a provider suspects a condition that requires further investigation, but an MRI isn’t automatically necessary for every episode of uncomplicated low back pain.

One reason is that imaging can reveal structural changes that aren’t actually producing symptoms. Disc bulges and other degenerative findings can occur in people who aren’t experiencing back pain.

Elite Sports Medicine evaluates the patient’s history, symptoms and physical findings to determine whether conservative care is appropriate or additional medical evaluation or imaging may be warranted.

How Long Does Low Back Pain Take to Improve?

Recovery varies according to the cause, severity and duration of the problem.

Many episodes of back pain improve within a few weeks. Other patients experience persistent or recurring symptoms that require a longer-term management and rehabilitation strategy.

A specific recovery time shouldn’t be promised before the underlying problem and patient’s functional limitations are understood.

Progress can instead be measured through changes in pain, mobility, strength, activity tolerance and the ability to return to normal work, exercise and everyday activities.

Can Low Back Pain Be Treated Without Surgery?

Yes. Many people with low back pain don’t require surgery.

Conservative care can include remaining active, exercise, manual therapy, physical rehabilitation, medications and other treatments depending on the patient’s condition.

For patients whose symptoms don’t respond adequately to conservative care, Elite Sports Medicine also offers access to pain management specialists as part of its multidisciplinary approach.

Certain conditions may require orthopedic, neurological or other specialist evaluation, particularly when significant nerve compression, progressive weakness or another serious underlying condition is suspected.

When Should You See a Doctor for Low Back Pain?

Persistent or worsening back pain deserves evaluation, particularly when it begins interfering with sleep, work, walking or normal activities.

Certain symptoms require more immediate medical attention. Seek prompt care when severe low back pain is associated with:

• New bowel or bladder problems
• Significant weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
• Fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Significant trauma
• Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms

Mayo Clinic identifies these among the warning signs that warrant medical evaluation.

These symptoms shouldn’t simply be treated as routine mechanical back pain.

Why Choose Elite Sports Medicine for Low Back Pain Treatment?

Low back pain is not a single condition, so effective treatment begins with understanding the individual patient’s symptoms and functional limitations.

Elite Sports Medicine combines chiropractic care with a broader multidisciplinary approach to musculoskeletal treatment. When appropriate, care can include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation, with access to physical therapy, pain management and orthopedic services when additional treatment is needed.

This allows treatment to progress according to the patient’s condition rather than relying on a single technique for every type of back pain.

Elite Sports Medicine provides low back pain treatment and chiropractic care in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles (LAX), Montebello, West LA, Orange, and South Central LA.

Schedule an Evaluation for Low Back Pain

If low back pain is interfering with work, sleep, exercise or everyday activities, identifying the likely source of your symptoms can help determine the appropriate treatment.

Request an appointment for low back pain treatment at Elite Sports Medicine in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles (LAX), Montebello, West LA, Orange, and South Central LA.