Pain in the lower part of the back is commonly referred to as Lumbago. It can be defined as mild to severe pain or discomfort in the area of the lower back. The pain can be acute (sudden and severe) or chronic if it has lasted more than three months. Most people will experience lumbago at some point in their life. It can occur at any age but is a particular problem in younger people whose work involves physical effort and much later in life, in the elderly. In most cases it settles in a few weeks but for some it is a persistent problem.

What causes lumbago?
In the majority of cases, it is impossible to identify the exact cause of low back pain. There may, for example, have been tiny strains or tears of some of the small muscles and ligaments, which can be difficult to pinpoint within the complex structure that is the human back. In about 25 per cent of cases, however, a specific problem can be found.

Often, these patients are suffering from conditions like arthritis of tiny joints called facet joints between the vertebral bones, a slipped disc (prolapse of an intervertebral disc), a collapse or fracture of one or more vertebrae (this is more likely in older patients especially when they have fallen or there is osteoporosis or brittle bones), deformation of natural spine curvature (scoliosis) or more rarely, skeletal damage due to tumours or infection.

What are the symptoms of lumbago?
-- Pain across the lower part of the back that sometimes radiates into the buttocks, the back of the thigh or to the groin. The pain is usually worse on movement.
-- Limitation in movement of the spine – especially bending forward and leaning back.
-- Tense spasm of the muscles surrounding the spine and causing a stiff back.
-- With severe pain and spasm, the back may tilt to one side causing a change in posture or a limp.
-- The pain is sometimes accompanied by a tingling sensation or numbness in the back or buttocks or leg, which may pass right down into the foot. This is called sciatica, and it indicates irritation of the sciatic nerve, which passes down from each side of the spine to the feet.