Common and Uncommon Causes of Back Pain in Vacaville

There are many causes of back pain in Vacaville, which some people are not even aware of it. Although muscle spasms are the most common cause of back pain, the spine can also experience the same problems. With that in mind, it can cause some confusion to some people on whether the back or spine is causing the problem.

Common back pain causes in Vacaville

• Sprain/Strain - An injury to the ligament can cause a sprain, and ligaments help support the spine including its facet joints. When you have muscle and/or tendon injury, then that is classified as a strain. Tendons connect muscle to a bone. You can have a spinal strain or sprain when you fall, involved in a car accident, use poor body mechanics, and many other ways. These can be quite painful and may temporarily limit your movement.
• Spinal Nerve Compression - When a spinal nerve root becomes compressed or pinched, it becomes inflamed and will start sending messages to the brain that interprets it as pain. There are many disorders that can cause nerve compressions such as bone spurs, herniated disc, or a thickened ligament.
• Lumbar Herniated Or Bulging Disc - When the contents of a disc (nucleus pulposus) spills out through its tough protective outer layer, it becomes herniated. The nucleus pulposus is compressing a spinal nerve root and could cause back pain, with or without leg pain. Depending on how severe the nerve compression or damage is, and which part of the lower back the disc herniation has occurred, the patient may experience buttock, leg, and thigh pain. The back pain location generally diffuses and it is not focused on a specific area. However, leg pain typically follows a certain kind of dermatomal patterns consistent with a specific nerve root irritation.
• Degenerative Disc Disease - This is a common spine problem that comes with age. It is not exactly a disease but is rather used to describe changes that spinal components undergo as they get older. As we grow old, our bodies go through some changes at cellular levels. One example of degenerative cellular damage is having a facial wrinkle.
  • Our body's aging process causes the intervertebral discs to begin dehydrating, which affects their shape and height that affects the space between the two vertebral bodies. When the space between the discs are reduced, the nerve passageway also narrows.
  • The disc and facet joints are working together. When the discs have abnormal stresses, it is passed to the facets that result in the formation of osteophytes, overgrowth of capsular ligaments, and reduction in facet joint movement. While all of this is happening, the body will find a way to stop abnormal movement in order to heal itself. The cartilage on the facet joints will start to wear away and will develop a slow degenerative cascade. Bone spurs start to emerge and may cause further pinching of the nerve roots within the foramen and or spinal canal.

Uncommon back pain causes

• Spinal Infections - This is a less common cause of back pain. These infections are either bacterial or fungal and may affect the spinal bone, spinal cord, intervertebral discs, or area around the nerve roots.
• Spinal Tumors - They can either be benign or malignant. These abnormal growths can either be primary or metastatic. A primary spinal tumor originates in the spine, specifically within the nerve roots, spinal cord, or vertebral body. Metastatic tumors are the ones that have migrated from another part of the body such as the breast, kidney, or lung.