Mechanical low back pain is the most common type of low back pain. In this article we will describe the key risk factors and how to act when symptoms appear, and also what steps you can take to try to prevent this type of back pain.
Mechanical low back pain is low back pain caused by physical stress on the structures of the spine. For example, making certain forced movements, or using harmful posture over a prolonged period of time.
It is the most common type of low back pain. It tends to occur from age 30 onwards, becoming more likely as you age (50 years and older), and is the main musculoskeletal disorder suffered by people over the age of 65.
Mechanical low back pain may be occasional, but sometimes it becomes chronic, and people afflicted with chronic mechanical low back pain find their quality of life significantly reduced.
For this reason, getting an accurate diagnosis of your back pain as early as possible is essential for getting the right treatment, to monitor its progress, and prevent relapses.
In the following, we explain the key symptoms of mechanical low back pain and their possible causes, along with some suggestions on how to keep from getting this type of back pain.
Symptoms of mechanical low back pain
The symptoms of mechanical low back pain can occur in various ways.
Most often, back pain is sudden and intense, and can become continuous. It tends to worsen with certain movements or postures. The pain may also radiate to other areas, mainly to the buttocks and lower limbs, on either one or both sides, and it can sometimes be so strong as to be debilitating.
In other cases, patients experience the pain as a dull ache in the lower back that comes and goes. This kind of pain tends to flare up after performing specific activities, and can last for days or even weeks, until the intensity of the pain decreases again, or even disappears.
If the low back pain continues over a prolonged period of time, it is considered chronic mechanical low back pain.
Why causes this kind of low back pain?
As we said earlier, mechanical low back pain arises from the effect of stressors on the mechanical function and condition of the various structures of the spine, affecting, for example, the load-bearing function of the spine and the ability to support one’s own body weight.
Some well known causes of mechanical back pain are physical stress due to work, excess body weight, and poor posture habits.
However, mechanical low back pain may also be caused by a disc protrusion or disc herniation, lumbar canal stenosis, or sports injuries.
In contrast to mechanical low back pain, non-mechanical low back pain is due to inflammation, caused by an autoimmune disease or infection.
One of the most common causes of non-mechanical low back pain is lumbar spondyloarthritis, while infections and tumors are less frequent causes.
Work
Although it may be surprising, sedentary work is the main cause of chronic low back pain. Sitting for many hours affects the health of the spine, overloading it with stress and sometimes damaging the structural elements of the spine.
Of course, there are other types of work-related causes of back injury as well.
For example, work that involves lifting heavy objects can lead to disc degeneration, especially when correct posture is not used to lift the weight.
Workers whose job requires repetitive movement using their back are also at greater risk of suffering from mechanical low back pain.
For example, bus or truck drivers are likely to experience degenerative disc disease at age 40 or younger, because their job requires them to lean their body forward repetitively.
Work that requires a lot of walking, or just being on your feet for a long time, can also cause lower back pain.
Poor posture
It’s very important to use good posture while at work and in all your daily activities.
Failing to do so can harm your spine and lead to low back pain.
Disc protrusion
Mechanical low back pain can also be caused by a disc protrusion.
This is a symptom of degenerative disc disease. A disc protrusion occurs when the soft inner nucleus of the disc bulges out from the fibrous ring surrounding it. This is part of a benign degenerative process with a 60% genetic origin, which can make you predisposed to early deterioration of the disc.
Disc herniation
Disc herniation is another stage of disc degeneration, which occurs when a degenerated intervertebral disc ruptures and its contents extend beyond the edges of the disc.
This can cause compression of the nerve roots in the spine, leading to pain in the lower back and, sometimes, the lower extremities.
Lumbar spinal stenosis
Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal. This exerts pressure on the spinal cord, dural sac, or nerve roots depending on the affected segment, and makes walking difficult due to compression of the nerves that lead to the lower limbs.
Sports injuries
Lower back pain is relatively common in athletes. Especially with stress injuries, those caused by excessive force, overexertion, impact, lifting excessive weight, frequent hyperextension of the spine, or a combination of these.
For example, tennis players who use a two-handed backhand, weightlifters, or golfers, are all prone to this type of injury.
Treatment of mechanical low back pain
The type of treatment recommended for mechanical low back pain will depend on its cause.
Acute onset low back pain can usually be treated with pain relief medication and local application of heat.
It may also be recommended that you take it easy, with light rest for 2 or 3 days, depending on the characteristics of the pain.
Once the period of acute pain has passed, it is important gradually return to regular exercise, while avoiding activities, actions, or gestures that usually trigger the pain.
It is necessary to do exercises to strengthen all the muscles, as well as stretching exercises. It is also good to know some exercises that help relieve back pain.
At the same time, you must remember to use good posture while at work and throughout other daily activities.
Physical therapy can also be a great aid in prevention and treatment of back problems.
If these steps are not successful in controlling the pain, other types of lumbar spine treatments may be recommended. Among them, epidural infiltrations or lumbar rhizolysis.
In certain cases, after thorough evaluation by a spine surgeon, spinal surgery may be recommended as the best solution for mechanical low back pain. If this is the case, the most common techniques are lumbar microdiscectomy, lumbar fusion, and laminectomy or lumbar decompression, which can be used according to the of cause of the pain.
Preventing low back pain
To prevent low back pain, it is important to avoid risk factors as much as possible. First and foremost, avoid excessive stress on the lumbar spine.
At the same time, try to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, and make a point of including more physical activity in your daily life, to the degree appropriate to the condition of your spine
Physical therapy and personal training are also highly recommended, especially with corrective exercises for the lumbar region, to help gain muscle strength, and improve the overall function of the spinal structures. These activities must be performed consistently, on a weekly basis, in order to get the best results and reduce the pain.
Instituto Clavel, specialists in pathologies of the spine
At Instituto Clavel we have a team of neurosurgeons, traumatologists, and orthopedic surgeons who are experts in the treatment of spinal pathologies.
We also have a team of physical therapists, osteopaths, and personal trainers who specialize in back health.
If you would like to have make an appointment for evaluation of your individual case, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We have centers in both Barcelona and Madrid.
Dr. Aldo Velasco Barrera
Orthopedic surgeon
Specialist in general pathology of the spine
Categories: Spine treatments, Back pain, Lumbar pain