The workhorse of our spine is the lumbar region or lower back. The lumbar region bears most of the body weight. The lumbar spine has to support the entire body. Hence, the vertebrae of this region are stronger and heavier compared to those in other regions of the spine. Proper alignment of the lumbar curve helps in prevention of injury to the vertebrae, disc and other parts of the spine.

Pain in Lower Back:

Many a times, we attribute back pain to conditions like degeneration of the spine, osteoarthritis, slip disc, etc. Such generalization is not correct, as in many cases, the cause of the pain could be somewhere else. The pain could be due to several, complicated reasons, since the back comprises a large number of ligaments, bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels, which are all intricately interwoven. Even other organs of the body, such as kidneys, digestive organs or genital organs, can cause back pain due to secondary effect. Hence, before assessment of the exact reason for the pain to occur, we should undergo a thorough investigation when the pain manifests.

It is quite common for people to have a stiff lower back with acute pain in the morning hours. There are many cases where rest aggravates the problem and active movement brings relief

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.

Pain in the lumbar region is due to irritation of the associated nerves. Proper diagnosis is very essential in deciding the therapy. It may be essential to refer to radiological examinations, such as CT Scan, MRI, etc. to identify the specific cause, such as degenerative disc, prolapsed disc, etc. Occasionally, in acute cases, it can lead to paralysis of the leg, preventing the patient from walking, lifting or moving the affected leg. Such cases are very few and require surgical correction.