Be careful if you often have back pain when walking because of these reasons

People often experience low back pain during physical activities. Low back pain may be caused by several organ problems, kidney disease, ligament injury or lumbar sprain. In addition to these, the most common disease in daily life is spinal disease, most of which is low back pain caused by lumbar disc. Patients can make a detailed judgment based on their age and whether they have a history of previous cases. They should find out the cause of low back pain when walking and treat it in time.

Low back pain is one of the most common spinal diseases

Almost everyone will experience low back pain at some time. There are many causes of low back pain, such as lumbar muscle strain, disc herniation, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, etc. In the past, everyone believed that mechanical compression of the nerve roots in the lumbar spinal canal was the main cause of low back pain (such as the familiar lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, etc.), but more and more studies have shown that low back pain caused by non-nerve root compression accounts for about 85% of low back pain patients. In other words, most patients with low back pain do not have a herniated disc.

Among these patients, discogenic low back pain (DLBP) is one of the main causes. Discogenic low back pain can be simply defined as symptoms such as pain and numbness in the lower back or lower limbs caused by abnormalities in the internal structure and metabolic function of one or more lumbar intervertebral discs, which stimulate pain receptors within the intervertebral disc or spinal canal.

1. Structure of the intervertebral disc

The intervertebral disc is located between the two vertebrae of the human spine. It is a sealed body composed of cartilage plates, annulus fibrosus, and nucleus pulposus. There are cartilage plates on the upper and lower parts, which are hyaline cartilage and cover the upper and lower bone surfaces of the vertebral body. The upper and lower cartilage plates together with the annulus fibrosus seal the nucleus pulposus. The annulus fibrosus is composed of fibrocartilage with collagen fiber bundles and is located around the nucleus pulposus. The fiber bundles of the annulus fibrosus cross and overlap obliquely, making the annulus fibrosus a solid tissue that can withstand large bending and torsional loads. The nucleus pulposus is an elastic gelatinous substance surrounded by annulus fibrosus and cartilage plates. It contains mucopolysaccharide protein complex, chondroitin sulfate and a large amount of water. The water content is as high as 90% at birth and about 80% in adulthood.

2. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc

A variety of factors can cause or accelerate the degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Under normal circumstances, the intervertebral disc begins to degenerate after the age of 20, the hydration decreases, the nucleus pulposus gradually becomes dehydrated, and the elasticity and expansion capacity decrease. However, certain inducing factors can accelerate the degeneration of the intervertebral disc and even cause a herniated disc. Common inducing factors include: 1. Height and gender: Some people believe that people who are too tall are more likely to suffer from intervertebral disc degeneration, and the incidence rate in men is 5 times that of women; 2. Improper posture: When people complete various tasks, they need to constantly change various postures to relieve lumbar stress. If you stay in a certain position for a long time, it can cause local cumulative damage. In particular, long-term poor posture is more likely to induce intervertebral disc degeneration. 3. Occupational factors: The incidence of intervertebral disc degeneration is higher among heavy manual laborers because the lumbar intervertebral disc is under heavy load for a long time. Intervertebral disc degeneration is also common among white-collar workers. Sitting for a long time causes the intervertebral disc to be under abnormal stress load for a long time. Because car drivers are in a state of bumps and vibrations for a long time, the intervertebral discs are under great pressure and the pressure changes repeatedly, which can easily induce intervertebral disc degeneration or herniation. Frequent bending over for long periods of time while working can easily lead to increased stress on the intervertebral disc and accelerated degeneration. A cold or humid working environment can cause small blood vessel constriction and muscle spasm, which increases the pressure on the intervertebral disc and may accelerate disc degeneration.

3. Clinical symptoms of discogenic low back pain

Discogenic low back pain is common in young and middle-aged people aged 20-40. The main clinical symptoms are lumbar and sacral pain, which is similar to the symptoms of most lumbar diseases. Some patients may have pain in the groin area or inner thigh, and even have symptoms of L4, L5 or S1 nerve root irritation, which are similar to the symptoms of common lumbar disc herniation. However, the clinical symptoms of disc-induced low back pain also have corresponding characteristics, such as aggravation when sitting or standing for a long time, and no obvious resting position. Physical examination showed that all patients had negative straight leg raising test, no obvious abnormalities in muscle strength and muscle tone of both lower limbs, no obvious abnormalities in lower limb tendon reflexes, and no positive signs of nerve root compression.