The spinal column is the most important part of the human musculoskeletal system, and the vertebrae are a sophisticated complex of joints, which needs to be treated with care. Most often, during the lifetime, the lumbar part of the spine suffers for various reasons. Pain in this region is one of the most common reasons for why people develop working incapacity for longer or shorter periods.

The spinal column is the most important part of the human musculoskeletal system, and the vertebrae are a sophisticated complex of joints, which needs to be treated with care. Most often, during the lifetime, the lumbar part of the spine suffers for various reasons. Pain in this region is one of the most common reasons for why people develop working incapacity for longer or shorter periods.

How does the pain in the lumbar region originate?

The spinal cord is comprised of 32–35 vertebrae, from which each has joints – two on the top and two on the bottom, as well as the vertebrae have intervertebral discs filled with a gelatinous substance – they ensure the amortisation of the spinal vertebrae.

The causes of pain in the lumbar region may be divided into more or less frequent, as well as specific.

The most common causes of lumbar pain:

• pain caused by degenerative or ageing processes
• muscle and tissue overload or even ruptures
• intervertebral disc hernia
• wrong posture.

The ageing of the human body is a natural process, to which each part of the body is subjected. This refers to the spinal column as well. For this reason, when ageing, more attention should be paid to various movements and actions not to harm oneself. The good news is, that the pain in the lumbar region is not harmful to life, but untreated it may significantly alter the quality of life.

Most commonly, pain in the lumbar region appears suddenly and it is sharp. The pain is especially prominent in spring, when people start gardening with joy and energy, re-start intensive sports activities and similar, overloading the back after a longer period of rest.

Yet, the pain may originate in any situation with lifting weight in the wrong way or lifting large or inconvenient weight and any other overload. In this way, lumbar region muscle overload, sprains or even intervertebral disc hernia may occur.

Pain in the lumbar region may also be caused by wrong posture or anomalies of the skeleton, which can be both hereditary and obtained during the lifetime.

Causes of pain in the lumbar region:

• emotional state,
• stress,
• fear,

It is a widely known truth, that the emotional state of a person, balanced work and recreation regimen, emotional balance and wellness significantly influence the operation of all organs and the general wellness of a person overall.

If a person is stressed, has a bad mood, depression, is worried or has other emotional problems generated by difficulties in private life or work or their cause may be an unexpected bad event, this may be a cause of pain in the lumbar region of the spine. For this reason, when feeling pain in this region, this aspect should be evaluated. Probably, by eliminating the problems that have appeared and resolving the stress-generating situations, the pain that the person did not even associate with these problems, working on the sub-conscious level, will disappear.

Specific Causes of Pain in the Lumbar Region:

• pregnancy,
• menstruation,
• kidney problems,
• stomach problems,
• changes in the joints.

It will not always be clear that these and also other different specific reasons are exactly the ones that have caused pain in the lumbar region of the back. They may be among the pain provoking factors, and back pain in these cases may occur as an additional signal of health problems, but at the same time they also may not be present. To eliminate or confirm this, the family doctor should be consulted first. Especially, if they do not disappear within a few weeks.

Treatment and Prevention

Whatever the reason for the pain in the lumbar region of the spine, if it does not diminish in a few days or weeks a, doctor’s consultation is definitely needed, as they will choose the most appropriate treatment method after the examination.

In easier cases it will probably be to reduce the load on the back. In such cases, excellent help may be provided by support belts, which reduce the load on the spinal muscles, reducing the pain and improving the wellbeing of the person. Which belt to choose, may be recommended by a doctor. Often, a successfully chosen support belt may be a good solution, avoiding the use of medicines or other types of therapy. Yet, it should be understood, that a belt is not a long-term solution, if the pain does not diminish, but gets stronger.

The doctor’s help should be sought immediately, if the pain from the lumbar region is projected to the legs. This may be evidence of an intervertebral hernia. Initially, it may also be treated, combining medicine and other types of treatment, and only if it does not help, should surgery be considered. In the case of this diagnosis, the doctor shall also, most probably recommend a support belt to the patient, both in combination with medical treatment and in cases when surgical intervention is needed. The belt will help both before the surgery and during recovery.

The support belt as an aid for stabilising the back muscles is recommended during pregnancy, when the belly is growing increasingly bigger, and there is additional stress on the lumbar part of the spine.

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