The term lumbar spine syndrome is not a disease pattern in itself. Rather, it is a collective term for pain in the lumbar spine area (lumbalgia). This pain can be limited to the lumbar spine or radiate into various other areas, such as the legs. Depending on the clinical picture and symptoms, there may be various underlying causes that trigger the pain. These must be identified in order to initiate a suitable therapy.
Causes
Muscle tension in the lower back is often the cause of the pain. These are caused by incorrect loading, for example when a faulty posture is permanently adopted. This can also cause irritation of the surrounding tendons and ligaments, which can also be painful.
The back is often damaged by incorrect posture, as it is permanently exposed to high loads. Insufficient or unbalanced musculature in the area of the back, buttocks and thighs also frequently leads to these complaints. Overweight can also lead to increased stress on the vertebral joints, which causes pain.
These increased loads or incorrect loads can lead to a blockage of the vertebral joints. This is a jamming of the joint, which can be very painful. As a result, people often take relieving postures that further increase the incorrect load.
However, degenerative changes in the vertebrae are also often the cause of back pain in the lumbar region. These are bony changes caused by wear and tear of the lumbar vertebrae, which lead to pain. These are signs of wear and tear that are accompanied by stiffening of the vertebral joints.
Arthrosis (spinal arthrosis) can also lead to such wear and tear of the joint. In some cases, the joint between the vertebrae (arthrosis of the facet joint) is also inflamed. As a rule, the intervertebral discs are involved in such degenerative changes.
These are the most common cause of pain in the context of a lumbar spine syndrome. A herniated disc of the lumbar spine or a disc protrusion of the lumbar spine often leads to pain that is either limited to the back area or radiates into the legs and also causes pain there. In addition, numbness and even paralysis can occur.
In case of a disc protrusion of the lumbar spine or a prolapse, the protruding disc can cause a squeezing of the nerves, which causes the symptoms. Likewise, spondylolisthesis often leads to pain in the lumbar spine area. Here, the sliding of two vertebrae towards each other causes nerves to be squeezed.
But also osteoporosis and osteomalacia can lead to back pain in the lumbar spine area. However, this affects women more often than men. More rarely, congenital malformations of the back, such as an open back (spina bifida) or growth disorders are the cause of the pain in the lumbar spine syndrome.
In addition, a very pronounced scoliosis can cause back pain. Rare causes also include tumors or metastases in the lumbar spine area. Even after bone fractures (fractures) and trauma, the typical pain of a lumbar spine syndrome can occur.
Acute lumbar spine syndrome is characterized by sudden pain in the lower back, often caused by incorrect movement. The pain is often triggered by carrying heavy loads. Herniated discs are also a common cause of the acute lumbar spine syndrome.
The chronic lumbar spine syndrome is usually triggered by the slow wear and tear of intervertebral discs and/or vertebrae. Osteoporosis can also be a cause, as can the permanent malposition of the vertebrae, which is caused by scoliosis. All muscular imbalances or incorrect loading can also lead to chronic lumbar spinal syndrome.
