Low Back Pain (LBP)

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Low back pain (LBP) may be defined as pain or stiffness in the lower back. It may be present with or without sciatica. Intervertebral discs herniations are most prominent. More than 95% of disruptions take place at L4–L5 level. There are numerous causes of low back pain, such as congenital, traumatic, degenerative, neoplastic, inflammatory, postural, metabolic, psychological, etc. Approximately 45% of adults have low back pain. About 10% of them are unable to work and about 20% of them have persistent symptoms for a long period of time. Low back pain is fairly rare below 20 years of age. Possible causes could be ankylosing spondylosis, spondylolisthesis or disc pathology. Between 20 and 50 years of age, pathologies to include are disc pathologies, …show more content…
Diagnosis of the root cause of this issue is highly important as it will lead to the right path of treatment. The most common presentation of low back pain is lumbago, low back pain with buttock pain and low back pain with sciatica. Low back pain can be classified on the basis of etiology and duration. On the basis of duration, low back pain can be classified as acute, sub-acute or chronic. According to various studies, the first episode of back pain can have differing results—80–90% will be asymptomatic in 6 weeks, 98% in 24 weeks and 99% in 52 weeks leading to the assumption that low back pain is benign in nature. Most patients cannot be given a definitive diagnosis because of weak association among symptoms, pathological changes and imaging results. Given the numerous cases of low back pain, a sound understanding and knowledge of the anatomy and biomechanics of this area is essential. It is also worth noting that trunk strength, flexibility, aerobic conditioning and postural education have all been found to have a significant preventive effect on occurrence and recurrence of back injuries. Thus, in this project, various causes of back pain, its diagnosis and treatment will be …show more content…
Herniated disc: The intervertebral disc is the largest avascular structure in the body. Herniated disc or slipped disc is also known as prolapsed intervertebral disc. It is a spinal disorder in which there is displacement of the soft central portion called the nucleus pulposus through the surrounding fibrocartilage. It is common in the lumbosacral region at L4-L5 and L5-S1 level. It is mainly due to trauma, degeneration and increased disc tension. Sudden severe strain may tear posterior longitudinal ligament so that the tense nucleus pulposus bulges backwards through the annulus fibrosus. Due to degenerative changes, disc loses its elasticity and its fluid content reduces. The ruptured disc is thus responsible for impingement of the spinal nerve roots which leads to radiating pain. Leakage of this nuclear material may also cause inflammation causing numbness, pain and