Chronic low back pain

Chronic low back pain is low back pain that exists for longer than three months. Chronic low back pain may be caused by a variety of different injuries, diseases and processes. Chronic low back pain is very common and is a significant burden to the individual, community and workplace (absenteeism). Just like acute low back pain, muscles, joints, tendons, intervertebral discs and nerves can cause chronic low back pain.

Symptoms

The symptoms are variable for chronic low back pain. The nature of symptoms will depend on the cause of chronic low back pain. Constant pain, shooting pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the legs are all possible. Pain may show variability and be better some days and worse others.

Treatments

The treatment for chronic low back pain depends on its cause.

Causes of low back pain

The following conditions are common causes of low back pain.

• Lumbar myelopathy
• Cauda equina syndrome
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Bone Spurs
• Degenerative disc disease (DDD)
• Pinched nerve
• Lumbar radiculopathy
• Lumbar facet joint pain
• Bulging Disc
• Herniated Disc
• Disc protrusion
• Discogenic pain
• Post laminectomy syndrome
• Coccydynia
• Spondylolisthesis
• Spondyloarthropathy
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Reiter’s syndrome
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Enteropathic arthritis
• Sacroiliac disorders
• Foot drop
• Spinal neurofibroma
• Acute low pain
• Chronic low back pain
• Stiff low back
• Trigger points in the low back
• Red flags for low back pain
• Internal disc disruption
• Lumbar spondylosis
• Lumbar facet syndrome
• Lumbar foraminal stenosis
• Lumbar disc herniation
• Lumbar osteoarthritis
• Lumbar osteophytes