Why Does My Lower Back Hurt When I Look Down

More Advanced Care Options

Surgery When other therapies fail, surgery may be considered to relieve pain caused by worsening nerve damage, serious musculoskeletal injuries, or nerve compression. Specific surgeries are selected for specific conditions/indications. However, surgery is not always successful. It may be months following surgery before the person is fully healed and there may be permanent loss of flexibility. Surgical options include:

Implanted nerve stimulators

• Spinal cord stimulation uses low-voltage electrical impulses from a small implanted device that is connected to a wire that runs along the spinal cord. The impulses are designed to block pain signals that are normally sent to the brain.
• Dorsal root ganglion stimulation also involves electrical signals sent along a wire connected to a small device that is implanted into the lower back. It specifically targets the nerve fibers that transmit pain signals. The impulses are designed to replace pain signals with a less painful numbing or tingling sensation.
• Peripheral nerve stimulation also uses a small implanted device and an electrode to generate and send electrical pulses that create a tingling sensation to provide pain relief.

When To See A Doctor

Lower back pain, when standing or walking, is not always a cause for concern and may get better with home treatment, such as rest, OTC pain relievers, hot and cold therapy, and gentle stretching.

A person should see their doctor if the pain is severe, does not get better, or occurs along with other concerning or debilitating symptoms.

People with lower back pain should seek immediate medical attention if they experience loss of bowel or bladder control or leg movement becomes severely affected.

Some tips to help prevent lower back pain include:

• Exercising for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Where possible, try doing a mixture of low- and high-intensity physical activities exercises, such as bike riding, walking, aerobics classes, swimming, or using an elliptical machine.
• Practicing good posture when walking, such as by keeping the back straight and avoiding leaning too far forward or slumping.
• Making appropriate adjustments to workstations to improve ergonomics. Examples include placing the computer screen at eye level and using a supportive and properly-adjusted chair.
• Using proper lifting techniques, including holding an object as close as possible to the body, maintaining a wide stance, bending from the legs and not the back, and avoiding lifting objects that are too heavy.
• Eating a healthful, balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Arthritis Of The Spine

Arthritis of the spine the slow degeneration of the spinal joints is the most frequent cause of lower back pain. All of us experience wear and tear as we age, and it is normal for your lower back to start acting up as you get older. As the cartilage breaks down between the spinal joints, surrounding tissues may become inflamed. The inflammation and the thinning of cartilage increase friction in the joints, which may cause pain in the lower back.

Recommended Reading: Advil Vs Ibuprofen For Back Pain

Severe Lower Back Pain When Sitting Or Bending

Lower back pain may occur while sitting or standing for a prolonged period of time. Pain may also occur when there is active spinal movement, such as attempting to stand up and/or bend down.

While in most cases the underlying cause of the pain can be identified, sometimes back pain may be non-specific with no identifiable cause.1

Here are a few possible causes for severe low back pain in such situations.

How Do You Know If You Have Hyperlordosis

Here are 3 simple tests you can perform to determine if you have an exaggerated curve in your lower back.

1. Side profile analysis

• Take a side profile photo of your standing posture.
• Take note of the curve in the lower back.

Results: If you can observe a significant arch in the lower back, then you have a Hyperlordosis.

2.Lying down test

• Lie down on your back.
• Keep your legs completely straight.
• Stay relaxed.
• Feel for a gap between your lower back and the floor.
• You can check this by sliding your hand underneath your back.

Results: If you can easily fit your hand underneath your lower back, then you likely have Hyperlordosis.

3.Get a X-ray

A lateral view of your Lumbar spine via X-ray scan can be used to determine if you have an arched lower back.

Recommended Reading: Is Aleve Good For Lower Back Pain

How Is Back Pain Treated

Acute back pain usually gets better on its own. Acute back pain is usually treated with:

• Medications designed to relieve pain and/or inflammation
• analgesics such as acetaminophen and aspirin
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen may be sold over the counter some NSAIDS are prescribed by a physician
• muscle relaxants are prescription drugs that are used on a short-term basis to relax tight muscles
• topical pain relief such as creams, gels, patches, or sprays applied to the skin stimulate the nerves in the skin to provide feelings of warmth or cold in order to dull the sensation of pain. Common topical medications include capsaicin and lidocaine.

Exercising, bed rest, and surgery are typically not recommended for acute back pain.Chronic back pain is most often treated with a stepped care approach, moving from simple low-cost treatments to more aggressive approaches. Specific treatments may depend on the identified cause of the back pain.

Fix Your Poor Posture

Although you will see significant improvements in your Hyperlordosis by performing the above mentioned exercises, it is also important to check if you have the following postures.

Hyperlordosis is commonly associated with the following types of postures:

1.Anterior Pelvic Tilt

This is where the pelvis tilts forwards.

As the pelvis tilts forwards, it will automatically arch the lower back.

Feel free to check out this comprehensive guide on how to fix this issue:

This is where the upper back curves forwards.

As the upper back curves forwards, the head is oriented downwards.

To maintain the head in an up right position, the body will compensate by over arching the lower back.

Feel free to check out this comprehensive guide on how to fix this issue:

Here are some simple exercises to get you started on fixing your Thoracic Kyphosis:

a)Thoracic Extension

• Position your upper back over a foam roller.
• Support the back of your head with your hands.
• Arch backwards.
• Make sure that you do not flare your lower rib cage out.
• DO NOT arch your lower back.
• Oscillate in the end range position for 30 repetitions.
• Note: If using a foam roller is uncomfortable, try using something thinner.

b)Thoracic Extension Strengthening

Recommended Reading: How Much Advil Can I Take For Back Pain

What Is Lower Back Pain

Low back pain can result from many different injuries, conditions or diseases most often, an injury to muscles or tendons in the back.

Pain can range from mild to severe. In some cases, pain can make it difficult or impossible to walk, sleep, work or do everyday activities.

Usually, lower back pain gets better with rest, pain relievers and physical therapy . Cortisone injections and hands-on treatments can relieve pain and help the healing process. Some back injuries and conditions require surgical repair.

Surgery For Lower Back Pain

Because the vast majority of patients recover from their low back pain with little help from a doctor, the rationale behind choosing surgery must be convincing. Eighty percent of patients with sciatica recover eventually without surgery.

Severe progressive nerve problems, bowel or bladder dysfunction and the cauda equina syndrome make up the most clear-cut indications for back surgery. Back surgery will also be considered if the patients signs and symptoms correlate well with studies such as MRI or electromyogram .

In the most serious cases, when the condition does not respond to other therapies, surgery may well be necessary to relieve pain caused by back problems. Some common procedures include:

• Discectomy, such as a or removal of a portion of a
• a bone graft that promotes the vertebrae to fuse together
• removal of the lamina to create more space and reduce irritation and inflammation

References and useful links

• 1, 2. Excerpted from Low Back Pain Fact Sheet, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
• Low Back Pain Fact Sheet, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health. Reviewed, July 26, 2003.
• Deyo RA, Weinstein JN, Low Back Pain, N Engl J Med, Vol 344, No. 5, Feb 1, 2001, pp 363-370.

Don’t Miss: Aleve Or Advil For Back Pain

Bone Spurs Can Form To Compensate For Too Much Motion

Over time, excessive motion in your spine can lead to inflammation and enlarged spinal joints. When this happens, bone spursor small, irregular growths on the bonetypically form on your facet joints in response to joint instability from the degeneration. The bony overgrowths can eventually become big enough to reduce joint motion and cause more swelling and stiffness.

See Diagnosis of Bone Spurs

While spurs can be a normal part of aging and do not directly cause pain, they may become large enough to irritate or compress nerves passing through spinal structures. This may result in diminished room for the nerves to passwhich is referred to as spinal stenosis.

Over time, degeneration of the facet joints in your lower back can result in the formation of a fluid-filled sac called a synovial cyst. These cysts are benign, but if they put pressure on the spinal canal they can, like bone spurs, cause symptoms of spinal stenosis.

Why Does My Back Hurt When I Look Down

Upper back pain is usually caused by soft tissue injuries, such as sprains or strains, or muscle tension caused by poor posture or looking downward for long periods. Poor posture and text neck can combine to wreck your upper back. Common behaviors and activities that can cause upper back pain include: Poor posture.

Read Also: Tylenol Or Aleve For Back Pain

Why Does My Lower Back Hurt When I Sit

Your back might hurt from sitting or bending down for many reasons. These causes can vary, depending on the severity of the pain and the positions in which you put yourself. In some cases, people may be unable to sit due to lower back pain and discomfort. Some possible reasons why you might experience lower back pain and stiffness when sitting include:

What Is Upper And Middle Back Pain

Upper and middle back pain can occur anywhere from the base of your neck to the bottom of your rib cage.

Your ribs attach to a long, flat bone in the center of the chest called the sternum and attach to and wrap around your back. If a nerve in this area is pinched, irritated, or injured, you may also feel pain in other places where the nerve travels, such as your arms, legs, chest, and belly.

The upper and middle back has:

• 12 vertebrae. These bones attach to your rib cage. They make up the longest part of your back.
• Discs that separate each vertebra and absorb shock as you move.
• Muscles and ligaments that hold the spine together.

See a picture of the spine.

Upper and middle back pain is not as common as low back pain or neck pain, because the bones in this area of the back don’t flex or move as much as the bones in your lower back or neck. Instead, they work with the ribs to keep the back stable and help protect vital organs, such as the heart and lungs.

Also Check: Does Motrin Help With Back Pain

Causes Of Lower Back Pain When Looking Down

The most common sources of lower back pain from looking downwards are soft tissue problems that have caused the muscles of the region to change in strength and length. We have seen contrasting causations providing similar symptoms in many different patients and each type of muscular concern can be created by a wide range of possible contributors. This fact can make accurate diagnosis especially difficult.

Injury to the back muscles can cause them to shorten and tighten. Since the entire back musculature moves together when the neck is flexed, this tightness can cause guarding and eventually pain. Luckily, lumbar strain will usually resolve without any particular treatment, as long as it is not a chronic version of RSI.

Muscular imbalances can strengthen, shorten and tighten lumbar paraspinal muscles or elongate them and weaken them, depending on many factors. The thing to remember about muscle imbalances is that muscles work as opposing sets for either mobility or support. When one set is much tighter or stronger then its matched set, it will pull the weaker set out of alignment, making these soft tissues even weaker and more stressed due to constant tension. Therefore, if an imbalance is the source of pain, it would be logical, since the typical symptomatic expression involves tightness, guarding and sharp pulling pain.

Resolving Lower Back Pain When Looking Down

Choosing To Relieve L4 L5 Pain Symptoms

When its time to see a doctor for treatment for back pain, seek out a leader in minimally invasive spine procedures. Advances in minimally invasive spine treatments mean treating back pain is easier than ever. Between outpatient treatments and minimally invasive surgical procedures using small incisions, you can expect a quicker recovery time instead of a long hospital stay.

Want to learn more about the most effective medical procedures to treat and eliminate back pain? For more information, contact the DISC Spine Institute, experts in minimally invasive spine treatments.

Don’t Miss: Will Aleve Help With Back Pain

When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider

• Can’t stand or walk
• Temperature over 101.0°F
• Chills
• Frequent, painful, or bloody urination
• Severe belly pain
• Pain or numbness in your leg
• Pain in a new area of your back
• The pain isnt decreasing after more than a week

• Pain radiating down the leg.
• Pain that is accompanied by fever or chills, leg weakness, or loss of control of the bladder or bowels.

How Do You Know If Back Pain Is Muscle Or Disc

While pain in your mid-back may be related to a disc, its more likely caused by muscle strain or other issues. Your symptoms feel worse when you bend or straighten up from a bent position. Movement can increase pressure on the herniated disc and the surrounding nerves, causing symptoms to increase.

Recommended Reading: Advil For Lower Back Pain

Ways Motion Causes Low Back Pain

Our spines are remarkablethey’re made up of incredibly intricate systems of bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that work together to enable movement in all directions. While all of this movement is great, the potential downside is that it can contribute to injuries and wear-and-tear damage over time that may lead to back pain and stiffness.

The spine is made up of strong bones, flexible ligaments and tendons, large muscles, and highly sensitive nerves. Watch:Lumbar Spine Anatomy Video

Understanding how movement impacts your spine can help you better communicate with your physician and hopefully get an accurate diagnosis for faster treatment and pain relief. With this in mind, here are 5 common ways that motion can contribute to back pain:

What Are The Treatments For Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain usually gets better with rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers. After a few days of rest, you can start to get back to your normal activities. Staying active increases blood flow to the area and helps you heal.

Other treatments for lower back pain depend on the cause. They include:

• Medications: Your provider may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription drugs to relieve pain. Other medications relax muscles and prevent back spasms.
• Physical therapy : PT can strengthen muscles so they can support your spine. PT also improves flexibility and helps you avoid another injury.
• Hands-on manipulation: Several hands-on treatments can relax tight muscles, reduce pain and improve posture and alignment. Depending on the cause of pain, you may need osteopathic manipulation or chiropractic adjustments. Massage therapy can also help with back pain relief and restore function.
• Injections: Your provider uses a needle to inject medication into the area thats causing pain. Steroid injections relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
• Surgery: Some injuries and conditions need surgical repair. There are several types of surgery for low back pain, including many minimally invasive techniques.

Don’t Miss: Exercise For Lower Back Pain Mayo Clinic

Keys To Fixing Middle Back Pain For Good

Your mid back pain is a result of tight shoulder and chest muscles NOT tight back muscles. Usually people who suffer from middle back pain actually have weak back muscles, so back strengthening exercises can help.

In many cases, weak core muscles and tight hip flexors are also pulling your rib cage down, causing your shoulders to round into the classic computer hunch.

To get relief for your middle back pain, work on opening up the front of your body. Stretch your hip flexors and your chest muscles. Work on strengthening your core.

Thoughts On How To Fix An Arched Back

Also Check: Advil Good For Back Pain