What is Mechanical Back Pain?

Mechanical back pain is pain that persists for more than 4 to 6 weeks and may need further diagnostic testing and imaging. Common causes of mechanical back pain include spinal stenosis, herniated discs, zygapophysial joint pain, discogenic pain, vertebral fractures, sacroiliac joint pain, and myofascial pain.

Mechanical means that the source of the pain may be in your spinal joints, discs, vertebrae, or soft tissues. Acute mechanical back pain may also be called acute low back pain, lumbago, idiopathic low back pain, lumbosacral strain or sprain, or lumbar syndrome.

Most people with mechanical back pain experience pain primarily in their lower back. The pain may radiate (spread) to your buttocks and thighs. Many people may also experience spasms with mechanical back pain. The symptoms of mechanical back pain are generally more noticeable with flexion of the back and when lifting heavy objects.

Mechanical low back pain can be caused by excessive or prolonged posture issues such as too much sitting or standing. Pain can also be caused by overuse or muscle strain or simply by reduced muscular strength in the abdominal, pelvis and back region which in turn strains the spinal column. A new injury can cause various structures in the back to become painful. Certain activities can also aggravate older injuries. Often, however, there is no specific injury present and yet the pain is very real.

There could be a number of different factors causing mechanical lower back pain. These can range from the health of your tissues and joints to issues relating to age, level of activity/exercise, strength, body weight, genetics, diet, sleep and stress.

Even severe lower back pain does not generally indicate serious damage or medical problems.

Mechanical lower back pain can be a dull ache or a sharp pain. It can come on gradually or happen due to sudden movements.

For most people:

• The pain is localised to your lower back region.
• You notice the pain when performing certain movements.
• The pain is not always at the same level and sometimes gets worse or better.

For some people:

• You may also feel referred pain in your buttocks/hips.

It is natural for many people to want know: what is causing my back pain? Many people feel that finding a single structure at ‘fault’ may help them treat their back pain. However, there are many structures in the lower back and it is very difficult to identify any one structure causing an issue. In fact, the way things appear on a scan, such as an X-ray or MRI, often does not always correlate with somebody’s pain. Even when changes are found on a scan many people have no pain. As a result, it is rarely necessary to have a scan of your back.

The current best evidence shows that the best management of mechanical lower back pain involves reducing any worries regarding your back pain,modifying your activities in the short term to reduce aggravating your back pain and becoming more physically fit. Also pain relief medication and heat and cold packs.

However, some mechanical back pain problems could require surgery or injections.

Source: Pub Med Cleveland Clinic MSK Diagnostics Sussex Community NHS