Who are the risk groups for low back pain
In my previous article, I discussed the causes of low back pain, including muscle-related pain, pain caused by stress and mental strain, poor posture, herniated discs, and excess weight. Today, let's look at other issues that cause low back pain.
Spondylolisthesis (Spinal Slippage): The bones called vertebrae, which make up our spine, have a specific arrangement. Due to strain, a fall, an accident, or age-related changes, this arrangement can become disrupted, causing the vertebrae to slip over one another — a condition called spondylolisthesis. It is often confused with a herniated disc, but while a herniated disc involves a problem with the disc between the vertebrae, spondylolisthesis involves a problem with the vertebrae — the bone — itself. The slipping of the vertebrae creates pressure or tension on the nerves, which leads to low back and leg pain.
People with spondylolisthesis often want to stop frequently when walking a certain distance due to low back and leg pain. In addition to pain, numbness, burning, and cramping occur in the legs. Standing increases the complaints. Depending on its severity, spondylolisthesis can be treated with a back brace, physical therapy, or surgical intervention.
Degeneration: Long-term wear in the joints makes the body less resistant to physical stress. Degeneration that occurs with aging affects most of us, and this wear that develops over time can result in pain that includes the low back.
AMONG THE MAIN CAUSES...
Osteoporosis: Also called bone loss, osteoporosis is actually the loss of bone density and the resulting weakening of the bones. In osteoporosis patients, the neck and lumbar bones are frequently affected, and compression fractures in these patients are among the main causes of chronic low back pain.
Spinal Fracture: Spinal fractures usually occur as a result of unfortunate events such as a traffic accident, a sports injury, or a fall from height, but in people with age-related bone loss (osteoporosis), a spinal fracture can also occur due to weakened bones. Osteoporosis is more common in women. Its most common symptom is neck, back, and low back pain. Pain complaints may be accompanied by numbness, cramping, loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and urinary incontinence.
Ankylosing Spondylitis: This is a genetic condition, usually inherited from a parent, that mostly affects young people. Intestinal and urinary tract infections can trigger the disease. It can affect the joints throughout the body, the back, and the neck, but its most prominent symptom is inflammatory low back pain. This pain increases especially after long periods of immobility. Patients feel intense low back pain upon waking in the morning, which begins with the immobility of sleep at night. Stiffness in the low back after waking can last for several hours. Unlike many types of low back pain, this pain is relieved by movement rather than rest. Back and neck pain are among the other symptoms, and a hunched back is seen in the advanced stages of the disease.
Since this disease is difficult to diagnose early and is often confused with a herniated disc, if the symptoms above sound familiar to you, you should definitely consult a specialist. In this way, the condition can be diagnosed early, before consequences such as joint disorders, a hunched back, and severe pain occur.
WHO IS IN THE RISK GROUP
Internal Organ Disorders: Disorders in organs near the lower back area, such as the pancreas, kidneys, intestines, and liver, as well as joint diseases, can cause low back pain.
Risk groups for low back pain:
-People over the age of 30
-Those with a genetic predisposition or a family history of low back pain
-Pregnant women and new mothers
-Those with rheumatic diseases or bone loss
-Women going through menopause
-Smokers
-People who have recently had surgery
-Those with infectious diseases
-Those involved in wrestling, weightlifting, rowing, football, tennis, and gymnastics
-Those who regularly lift heavy loads for work or sit for long periods
-Those under intense stress
-Diabetics and hypertension patients
-Cancer patients