Pain felt in your lower back may come from the spine, muscles, nerves, or other nearby structures. It may also be due to problems in your mid or upper back, the testicles or ovaries, or a hernia in the groin.

See also: Low back pain - chronic

If you are like most people, you will have at least one backache in your life. While such pain or discomfort can happen anywhere in your back, the most common area affected is your low back. This is because the low back supports most of your body's weight.

Low back pain is the number two reason that Americans see their doctor -- second only to colds and flus. Many back-related injuries happen at work. But you can change that. There are many things you can do to lower your chances of getting back pain.

You'll usually first feel back pain just after you lift a heavy object, move suddenly, sit in one position for a long time, or have an injury or accident. But prior to that moment in time, the structures in your back may be losing strength or integrity.

The specific structure in your back responsible for your pain is hardly ever identified. Whether identified or not, there are several possible sources of low back pain:

• Muscle spasm (very tense muscles that remain contracted)
• Other medical conditions like fibromyalgia
• Ruptured or herniated disk
• Small fractures to the spine from osteoporosis
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Spine curvatures (like scoliosis or kyphosis), which may be inherited and seen in children or teens
• Strain or tears to the muscles or ligaments supporting the back
• Infection of the spine (osteomyelitis, diskitis, abscess)
• Cancer that involves the spine

Back pain may also be due to:

• An abnormal aortic aneurysm that is leaking
• Arthritis conditions, such as osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Kidney infection or kidney stones
• Problems related to pregnancy
• Medical conditions that affect the female reproductive organs, including endometriosis, ovarian cysts, ovarian cancer, or uterine fibroids
• Testicular torsion (twisted testicle)