Causes Of Buttock Pain

Pain in the lower back and buttock region is most often caused by minor injuries to the muscles and ligaments of the lower back. Causes include sports injuries, standing or sitting for prolonged periods, poor posture, lifting in awkward positions and a sedentary life style. Disc injury in the lower back can put pressure on the spinal nerves, this can cause buttock and leg pain . Osteoarthritis or more serious pathology in the spine can also cause referred type pain into the buttocks and legs.

Signs That Its Time To Call A Doctor For Your Back Pain

Most people have experienced back pain at some point in their lives. It’s actually the leading cause of disability worldwide and the most common reason people call out of work. Back pain can come in many different forms, ranging from a dull ache that lasts only a few days to severe pain that lasts for weeks.

Depending on the intensity of the pain, there are many treatments you can try at home to help. But how do you know when it’s time to stop home remedies and see a physician?

If any of the following applies to your back pain, then it’s time to make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible.

The Course Of Lower Back Muscle Strain

The hip, pelvis, buttock, and hamstring muscles assist low back muscles in supporting the lumbar spine. When these muscles are injured, pain or tightness may be felt across the low back and into the hips or buttocks.

Symptoms are typically limited in duration and follow a pattern:

• Pain is most intense for the initial few hours and days. It is normal to experience increased pain with certain movements or positions, such as bending forward, backward, or standing upright.
• Ongoing moderate pain and stiffness is usually felt for 1 to 2 weeks while muscles heal. Pain when holding certain movements or positions , stiffness, and local tenderness are typical.

See Lower Back Pain Symptoms

Compared to many other kinds of back injuries, a pulled muscle is usually straightforward to diagnose and easy to treat, and symptoms usually resolve within 4 to 6 weeks. Some severe muscle injuries, such as a complete muscle tear, can take months to heal.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Tailbone Pain

• The symptoms of coccydynia include:
• Achy or piercing pain in the tailbone.
• More severe pain when changing from sitting to standing up.
• More severe pain when sitting for long periods of time.
• Pain during bowel movements.

Other related symptoms that may occur with coccydynia include:

• Depression.
• Back pain.

How To Treat Lower Back Pain On The Left Side

If your problem doesnt require hospital treatment, home treatments are usually enough to address the problem. Time, rest, and pain relievers should do the trick. Self-care treatments include ice and hot packs, topical pain-relieving lotion or cream, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and limiting activities that can cause or aggravate your pain.

If your condition requires medical treatment, your potential pain relief solutions include physical therapy, muscle relaxants, nerve blocks, and anticonvulsant medication for certain nerve issues. A lumbar spine steroid injection can provide you temporary relief from bothersome pain. Stronger pain medications include hydrocodone which will certainly come in handy when ibuprofen cant handle your chronic pain. Now do take note that these drugs can be habit-forming, so always stick to your doctors instructions when taking them.

If you have kidney problems, you may need antibiotics or treatment to break up or remove kidney stones. If your condition is that severe, surgery may be the only option for you.

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Sensations That Might Indicate A Medical Emergency

1. Sharp pain rather than a dull ache: This could indicate a torn muscle or ligament, or a problem with an internal organ in the back or side.2. Radiating pain: This pain “moves” or shoots to the glutes or legs, which could indicate a nerve compression condition.

3. Sudden weakness in the legs: Limb weakness can be caused by compressed nerves in the spine due to conditions like sciatica or spinal stenosis. However, sudden leg weakness could also indicate a stroke.4. Incontinence: Back pain paired with inability to control the bowels or bladder might be a sign of serious nerve compression or a spine infection, such as discitis or meningitis.5. Numbness or pins and needles in the groin or glutes: This is known as saddle anesthesia and is also a sign of a serious nerve or spine condition.

If you have leg weakness, incontinence, and numbness together, you might have cauda equina syndrome, a serious illness characterized by spinal cord nerve damage. This is a medical emergency, and patients usually need surgery immediately to decompress the nerves and reduce permanent damage.

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How To Know When Back Pain Is Muscular

If youve ever suffered from aches and pains in your back, youre not alone: According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 75 to 85 percent of Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives.

But knowing whats causing your pain can be challenging. The most common complaint is what we characterize as non-specific low back pain, which means we havent identified a specific underlying source for why that individual has back pain, says Craig Van Dien, M.D., a sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute. In most cases, this is muscle-based pain or a muscle strain.

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Back Pain Due To Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a strain on the body and can cause many temporary ailments. Back pain is one of the common problems during pregnancy. As the baby grows and more weight is added in the mid-section, pressure is put on the back causing lower back pain

Rarity: Common

Top Symptoms: back pain, lower back pain

Symptoms that always occur with back pain due to pregnancy: back pain

Symptoms that never occur with back pain due to pregnancy: fever

Urgency: Self-treatment

What Are The Risk Factors For Developing Low Back Pain

Anyone can have back pain. Factors that can increase the risk for low back pain include:

Age: The first attack of low back pain typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 50, and back pain becomes more common with advancing age. Loss of bone strength from osteoporosis can lead to fractures, and at the same time, muscle elasticity and tone decrease. The intervertebral discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility with age, which decreases their ability to cushion the vertebrae. The risk of spinal stenosis also increases with age.

Fitness level: Back pain is more common among people who are not physically fit. Weak back and abdominal muscles may not properly support the spine. Weekend warriorspeople who go out and exercise a lot after being inactive all weekare more likely to suffer painful back injuries than people who make moderate physical activity a daily habit. Studies show that low-impact aerobic exercise can help maintain the integrity of intervertebral discs.

Weight gain: Being overweight, obese, or quickly gaining significant amounts of weight can put stress on the back and lead to low back pain.

Genetics: Some causes of back pain, such as ankylosing spondylitis , have a genetic component.

Smoking: It can restrict blood flow and oxygen to the discs, causing them to degenerate faster.

Backpack overload in children: A backpack overloaded with schoolbooks and supplies can strain the back and cause muscle fatigue.

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Causes Of Lower Left Back Pain While Breathing

Scoliosis, kyphosis, and other conditions that affect your spine can cause back pain and breathing issues.

• Scoliosis – a common condition among pre-teens and teenagers , scoliosis is the result of your spine curving to the side. The most severe cases of scoliosis cause the curvature to place extra pressure on the lungs. This might make breathing harder, even painful for the patient.
• Kyphosis – this condition happens when the spine curves forward, resulting in a hunched position. Common causes of kyphosis are spinal injury and aging. Aside from back pain, you will also experience swelling and balance difficulties. Severe cases of kyphosis can make breathing and eating more difficult or at least uncomfortable.

Dysfunction Of Sacroiliac Joints

Dysfunction of the sacroiliac joints is also called sacroiliitis. You have two sacroiliac joints, one on each side of your spine where it connects with the top of your pelvis. Sacroiliitis is inflammation of this joint. It can affect one or both sides.

Pain in your lower back and buttocks is the most common symptom. The pain is usually made worse by:

• standing

• unexplained weight loss
• pain after a fall or injury

If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

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Can A Slip And Fall Cause Sciatica

If you pinch a nerve or one of the discs in your back herniates from a slip and fall accident, you could develop sciatica. Trauma from the accident can damage the spine and compress the sciatic nerve. This nerve branches off of the lower back and travels through the hips and buttocks and down the legs.

Why Is Inactivity Bad For Shooting Radiating Back Pain

The sciatic nerves are actually bundles of many nerves branching out of the different levels of the spine and form two branches that run down each side of the low back. Lack of fitness creates weak, shortened muscles that press on the sciatic nerves and cause constant pain. Exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles can be very helpful. Sitting for prolonged periods can also cause back pain to flare or worsen due to poor posture. Try to sit up straight with your shoulders back and your lower back supported with a special chair, a rolled towel, or pillow. You should also try to stand and stretch every so often.

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Complementary And Alternative Techniques Include:

• Acupuncture is moderately effective for chronic low back pain. It involves inserting thin needles into precise points throughout the body and stimulating them , which may cause the body to release naturally occurring painkilling chemicals such as endorphins, serotonin, and acetylcholine.
• Behavioral approaches include:
• Biofeedback involves attaching electrodes to the skin and using an electromyography machine that allows people to become aware of and control their breathing, muscle tension, heart rate, and skin temperature people regulate their response to pain by using relaxation techniques
• Cognitive therapy involves using relaxation and coping techniques to ease back pain

Spinal injections include:Trigger point injections can relax knotted muscles that may contribute to back pain. An injection or series of injections of a local anesthetic and often a corticosteroid drug into the trigger point can lessen or relieve pain.

I Fell On My Butt And My Lower Back Is In Pain

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Can A Spinal Infection Cause Shooting Back Pain

Almost never. An infection of any part of the spine the discs, the vertebrae, or the membranous lining of the spinal canal can be very painful, but the pain will be localized and does not radiate into the buttocks or legs. There will also be fever and chills, as with any other systemic infection. This requires immediate medical attention.

Bruised Tailbone: When To See A Doctor For Pain After Falling

There are many accidents that may result in a bruised tailbone, technically known as a coccyx injmy. Any injury to this area may end in a bruise or more seriously a dislocation or fracture of the coccyx. This area can be very slow to heal and requires extra special precautions to ensure it heals properly.

Your coccyx, more commonly known as your tailbone, is located at the very base of your back and is the very last vertebral column of your spine. The area is made up of

3-5 bony parts all held in place by ligaments and joints. Interestingly, since women have a broader pelvis than men they experience the majority of coccyx injuries.

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Chronic Low Back Pain Is Serious But Rarely Ominous

Back pain can suck the joy out of your days for week, months, even years. It can definitely be serious even when its not dangerous. I have worked with many truly miserable chronic low back pain patients, and of course the huge economic costs of back pain are cited practically anywhere the subject comes up. But your typical case of chronic low back pain, as nasty as it can be, has never killed anyone.

Ominous is medical jargon for truly scary. Cue Jaws theme music. Low back pain is ominous when it is caused by something that can cripple or kill you. Such causes are rare, fortunately. But awful things do happen, even the best doctors can miss them .

Ordinary back pain can be fierce & awful but not dangerous. Its bark is almost always much louder than its bite.

After A Fall What Cause Of Back Pain

Rushing down a flight of hardwood stairs wearing socks lands a 38-year-old man on his back and then in the ED for evaluation of back pain that prohibits walking. Can you spot the problem on the x-ray?

A 38-year-old man slips at home while rushing down hardwood stairs wearing socks and falls hard onto the stairs injuring his back. He is having a lot of trouble walking because of right-sided low back pain that radiates up his back and down to his thigh when he tries to stand. He says he took two ibuprofen at home without relief. He denies any neck pain, head injury, or other injuries or complaints. He takes no regular medication and has no prior medical conditions. He has a friend at the bedside who drove him to the ED.

On physical examination vital signs are all normal except for his blood pressure, which is elevated at 147/81 mm Hg, most likely a result of pain. His head and neck are non-tender and atraumatic. The upper back is non-tender, however he is tender in the lower back, more so on the right side with a slight abrasion. His neurovascular examination is intact.

You order spinal films. The lateral view is normal. The AP view is shown in the Figure, at right.

Do you see anything wrong?

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Acute Injury: Treatment Strategies

With an acute injury, that is an injury which has happened recently, for example from a fall, bending and lifting, or even just sneezing, the following advice is useful to help return to normal activity as soon as possible. Keep active! Try to lead as normal a life as possible, avoid sustained positions for long periods. Over the counter pain medication can be used if required. Gradually build up to more active pursuits over a period of time. Most back pain will improve within the first few days and be gone within six weeks. Return to exercise? Generally, returning to moderate exercise is a good thing. Be sure that the exercise is well within your capability and that you avoid any impact type exercise or heavy lifting initially. Concentrate on mobility and stability training. Increase your training regime over a period of weeks, back to your normal routine. Role of physiotherapy If your back pain persists or you are in a lot of pain you should seek the expert advice of a physiotherapist. A physiotherapist will be able to provide you with a thorough assessment and examination, they will be able to develop a working diagnosis and a treatment plan specific to your needs. If required their treatment approach may include manual therapy techniques, the use of electrotherapy, specific exercise prescription, acupuncture and advice on posture and ergonomics.

Why Some Falls Require Medical Attention

Its always wise to err on the side of caution and seek professional help and advice for any pain you are having after an injury. That way, you can make sure there is nothing more serious going on. Or, at the very least, you can seek relief from the pain and discomfort you are feeling.

When you fall or get injured in some other way, your body gets impacted either mildly or severely. Your joints, ligaments, bones, and muscles are all affected.

When you take a fall and land directly on your back, these tend to be more serious because your spine is affected the most, and spine health is essential to your overall health.

Falling on your back can cause slipped discs, which is extremely painful and can cause a lot of everyday pain. Symptoms of a slipped disc include:

• Numbness and pain in one side of the body
• Pain in arms and legs
• Sudden muscle weakness

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