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Back Pain Causes
What causes back pain?
In most cases, there isn't a clear cause. Back pain can be caused by overuse, strain, or injury. For example, people often hurt their backs playing sports or working in the yard, being jolted in a car accident, or lifting something too heavy.
Aging plays a part too. Your bones and muscles tend to lose strength as you age, which makes injury more likely. The spongy discs between the bones of the spine (vertebrae) may suffer from wear and tear and no longer provide enough cushion between the bones. A disc that bulges or breaks open (herniated disc) can press on nerves, causing back pain.
In some people, back pain is the result of arthritis, broken vertebrae caused by bone loss (osteoporosis), illness, or a spine problem.
Although most people have back pain at one time or another, there are steps you can take to make it less likely.
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