Causes

Back or body pain can have any of a number of causes, including ligament or muscle strains or sprains, muscle spasms, or arthritic or swollen joints. Things that can cause strains, sprains, or spasms include:

• Poor posture
• Poor physical condition
• Using weak muscles to perform excessively difficult tasks
• Using muscles, ligaments, or joints for activities for which they're not conditioned or of which they're not capable
• Excessive or improper lifting
• Sudden awkward movements, like lifting or twisting too quickly
• Overly strenuous physical activities

In addition to causing acute pain, some of these things can also cause more serious back injuries that require medical attention.

But in less serious cases, acute back or body pain caused by a strain or sprain will generally heal within a few weeks and may never recur, particularly when the cause is properly addressed.

Degeneration of the spine, which often occurs with aging, can contribute to lower back pain, and may often lead to more serious conditions such as spondylosis (arthritis of the spine) or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots due to arthritis and bone overgrowth). If you think you may be suffering from more severe back pain, talk to your doctor.

Learn more:
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» About Back & Body Pain
» Prevention
» Treatment
» Excedrin Back & Body

Sources
U.S. National Institutes of Health
WebMD.com
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MayoClinic.com
ClevelandClinic.org