It is quite likely that you may experience low back pain at some point in your life. In most cases, low back pain is not a long term condition and goes away with rest and basic home treatments. However, it's estimated that from fifteen to thirty percent of Americans suffer with chronic low back pain, disabling more people than heart disease or cancer.

One of the most common causes of low back pain is overuse of your muscles. This may occur from lifting something heavy or from doing some kind of hard work you don't normally do. These types of minor back injuries can usually be handled at home without a doctor's intervention. The best way to get low back pain relief is to rest the affected muscles for a couple of days. Lying on a heating pad or applying a hot pack of some sort is also an excellent low back pain treatment.

Most low back pain will go away within a few days, although a few weeks is not uncommon. Stay as active as possible and take ibuprofen or paracetamol. You can return to your normal activities before you are completely pain free, as long as these activities don't put a strain on your back. The main thing to avoid is further weakening your core muscles as this will make you more prone to future injuries.

Any low back pain that lasts longer than twelve weeks is referred to as chronic low back pain. Chronic pain can be attributed to many causes. Sometimes it's caused by repeatedly performing movements that are not good for your back. It may result from an injury or accident. In other cases, chronic low back pain is a signal of more serious illnesses or degenerative diseases.

Almost all of the causes of low back pain can be prevented with lifestyle changes and attention to your posture. Poor sleeping positions may lead to low back pain. Obesity or weight gain during pregnancy may cause stress on your lower back. Even seemingly unrelated conditions like smoking, stress and depression can result in minor low back pain. It's been proven that smoking reduces blood flow to your lower spine and causes disc degeneration.

Low back pain affects men and women equally. As you might suspect, back pain becomes more prevalent as people age. Most degenerative joint diseases are due to aging more than any other factor. In the past, low back pain among pre-teens was rare, but the introduction of backpacks and heavy schoolbooks have contributed to an increase in the number of children reporting problems with low back pain. School children can lower their risk of developing low back pain by not carrying all of their books every day and by wearing their backpack on both shoulders, balancing the weight evenly.

The best low back pain exercise involves gently stretching the muscles of your lower back, especially before you begin any exercise or exertion. Try to keep your weight balanced when you're standing up and avoid slouching. If you work in an office environment, make sure that your workspace is designed to reduce strain on your back. Low back pain is best avoided by maintaining an overall healthy physical condition rather than trying to concentrate specifically on back exercises.

If you haven't experienced low back pain yet, you're almost guaranteed to experience it in the future. By understanding the causes and how they result in low back pain, hopefully you can reduce the severity of any pain you have and quickly travel the road to complete recovery.