Is Your Back Pain Serious?
What Can Cause Severe Low Back Pain?
A sudden injury most often causes acute low back pain. The most common injury sources are the muscles and ligaments supporting the back. The pain may be caused by muscle spasms or a strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments. But occasionally, it can have a more sinister cause.
Warning Signs of a More Serious Back Injury?
In these instances of neurological deficit, please urgently consult your nearest hospital, doctor or physiotherapist. The following neurological signs warrant prompt assessment:
- pins and needles (paraesthesia),
- numbness (anaesthesia),
- leg muscle weakness,
- altered reflexes,
- difficulty walking,
- loss of control of bladder or bowels.
Non-Musculoskeletal Causes of Low Back Pain
Although most low back pain is musculoskeletal in origin, other health conditions can cause low back pain.
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Infection of the spine (osteomyelitis, discitis)
- Kidney infection or kidney stones
- Spondyloarthropathies: e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
- Female reproductive organs: e.g. pregnancy complications, ovarian cysts or cancer, endometriosis
Please seek the professional advice of your trusted and experienced healthcare practitioner to diagnose the cause of your lower back pain.
