Moving easily, strong, and straight are the traits of a healthy back. Many people don’t possess them and feel pain in their backs. Most types of back pain go away soon with or without treatment. However, there are pains that stay in the back for a very long period of time -- this is called chronic back pain.

The most common area of chronic back pain is the lower back also termed as lumbar spine.

In the initial stages, the back may not give any problem at all throughout the day till one retires, but gradually, the stiffness starts persisting even during the day, causing restriction to spinal movements. Such restriction may even disturb the natural curve of the spine, resulting in a stoop. It can also emanate as pain in the neck region, thereby restricting movement of the neck. In general, the lumbar area gradually changes its shape from concave to flatness. This restricts the movement of the spine so much so that even a simple sideward movement causes pain and, instead of turning the head, the patient may have to turn the whole body. The situation may ultimately lead to fusion of all the vertebrae, making the patient stiff and immobile. This syndrome is known as 'the bamboo spine' (ankylosing spondylitis), wherein all ligaments start getting calcified and ankylosed.

Causes of Chronic Back Pain:

Most of the times, the cause of chronic back pain is not known. However:

• poor posture is the most common cause of back pain

• some types of arthritis can cause chronic back pain

• being overweight and not exercising enough can raise your risk of chronic back pain

• injury during heavy weight lifting is a frequent cause of chronic back pain

• if your back is weak and you often get upset or feel stressed, you can get chronic back pain.