Lower back pain is a common painful condition that affects the lower part of the spine. Many factors contribute to this problem, but the two major ones are an injury in the sprain or ligament (as it is popularly called) and strain or muscle.

Other common causes of lower back pain are improper lifting, heavy objects, lack of exercise, arthritis, and ruptured disc. But some other common causes of lower back pain is not connected to underlying diseases; mere bad habits trigger them.

Some of them include prolonged sitting or lying down, sleeping in an awkward position, and wearing a poorly fitted bag pack. Lower back pain has been one of the primary reasons people visit their doctors annually. Statistically, 80% of the world population is suffering or has suffered from lower back pain at some point in their lives.

How long Does Lower Back Pain to Last?

Lower back pain is categorized into two major types: acute and subacute. When the lower back pain is on the acute stage, it often lasts for four weeks, while the sub acute type of it lasts for between 4-12 weeks. According to research by the National Institutes of Health, 20% of individuals with acute back pain cases eventually develop chronic back pain over time.

The thing is, when your back hurts, you might be worried it will degenerate into sometime serious. But the truth is that lower back pains are never treated as an urgent medical condition in the hospitals. But the good news is, sometimes these pains go on its own without any medical attention, unless (of course) you have other severe medical conditions.

How Do you Treat Lower Back Pain?

There are many ways to treat this condition; some are therapeutical, while the other is medical and requires routine medication. Below, we have listed the treatments as thus:

• Spinal Manipulation

This is also called a spinal adjustment; it is a type of therapy that uses pressure on the joints. It is used to reduce pain in a particular body part for optimum functioning. Spinal adjustment can be performed with hands or with special devices.

• Stretches

You have to lie your back on the floor to perform stretches, with your feet flat, then arms seated by the sides. Let the curvature of your spine slightly lift your lower back off the floor as you gently arch the lower back, pushing your stomach out, thus, stabilizing your core. Do this and hold on for 5-10 seconds, then rest.  Types of stretches useful for lower back pains are Trunk rotation, Knee-to-chest, Cat-cow stretch, and Pelvic tilt.

Finally, according to research by Global Burden of Disease published in The Lancet medical journal, lower back pain is the major leading cause of disability. But unfortunately, you may not be able to prevent this situation as you grow older, but there are many ways you can get relief regardless of the cause of the back pain.