Symptoms of Lower Back Problems

There are numerous symptoms of lower back problems.

Lower back stiffness and soreness, lower back muscle spasm and cramps, stabbing or burning back pain...

...pain radiating into the hips and/or legs, limited flexibility - or inability to straighten the spine, tingling or numbness in the buttocks and legs...

...can all be signs of low back problems.

For the luckiest people, the symptoms will be temporary, lasting only a few minutes. For those not as fortunate, symptoms may last for hours, days, or weeks.

And for other people, symptoms can become persistent, and after several months result in chronic back pain.

What Causes Lower Back Pain Symptoms?

Although the causes for lower back pain are often of a very simple nature, such as a minor back injury resulting from a muscle sprain, strain or pull. or lower back arthritis ...

...there may be times when serious medical condition are present.

Before beginning your own back pain remedies, according to MayoClinic.com, it is advisable to see a doctor, if pain is...

• continuous or intense, especially at night or when you are lying down
• the result of a back injury, a fall, blow or other injury
• accompanied by a pain or throbbing in the abdomen, or a fever
• radiating down one or both legs, particularly extending to the lower leg
• causing bladder or bowel problems
• causing weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
• accompanied by unexplained weight loss

The MayoClinic.com website goes on the say, that if you are 50 or older, and experiencing back pain for the first time...

...or have a history of cancer, osteoporosis, steroid use, or drug or alcohol abuse, you should see a doctor.

Please note... This website is written by a patient NOT a practitioner. Exercise and techniques contained here were provided to me as treatment for my own chronic back pain and should NOT be used without the advice of a doctor or back pain specialist.

Treating Symptoms of Lower Back Problems

If a doctor or back pain specialist has determined that your symptoms of lower back problems have NOT been brought on by a serious medical condition, but instead are a result of muscle strain, sprain, or back muscles spasm...

...they may suggest some of the same treatment methods that have been recommended to me, over the years.

At the onset of an injury, the advice I have received is to...

...use ice therapy for the first 48-72 hours, followed by either heat therapy or a combination of heat and ice, in addition to rest.

And, as counterintuitive as it may sound, several types of exercises for lower back problems have also been suggested.

Yes, exercise for lower back problems...

...not only to be used as a form of back pain treatment but as back pain prevention, as well.

Exercise recommendations given to me usually consist of...

• lower back stretches
• back strengthening exercises
• back stretching exercise
• different yoga postions
• posture exercises, and

...stomach exercise. By strengthening stomach muscles (or abs) that support the pelvis and vertebrae, I tend to have less symptoms of lower back problems, and a noticeable improvement in overall back health.

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