The lower back is the most common site of injuries and back pain. The lower back, known as the lumbar, has five movement segments. Your lower parts have the highest risk of injury, and you may feel pain all over your body and not just your lower back, such as pain radiating down an arm or leg. Do you know which area of the spinal cord is most commonly injured? The cervical or lumbar spine is at greatest risk of injury in a traumatic accident.
The lower part of the spine is called the lumbar spine and is made up of 5 vertebrae. There is significant flexion and extension movement in the lumbar spine, but minimal rotation. The lumbar vertebrae are the largest in the spine and support most of the body weight and withstand significant loads and stresses. It is understandable that the lumbar spine is the most commonly injured region of the spine.
The National Center for Spinal Cord Injury Statistics (NSCISC) reports that the most common spinal cord injury is incomplete quadriplegia, followed by complete paraplegia and complete quadriplegia. Other common causes of hospitalization include circulatory, digestive, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders. Common causes of foraminal stenosis include osteoarthritis of the facet joint, degenerative disc disease, or a bulging or herniated disc. Some of the most common causes of spinal cord injury include car accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, sports injuries, or surgical complications.
The three most common spinal injuries are strains or injuries to muscles and tendons, sprains that are injuries to the ligaments of the back, and hernias that involve injuries to the disc between the vertebrae. This is a common mechanical cause of low back pain and occurs when generally rubbery discs lose integrity during the normal aging process. Pain in these areas is common after car accidents, and in catastrophic injuries with crushed bodies, a shattered pelvic bone could be life-threatening. The most common reason victims need to return to the hospital is due to diseases of the genitourinary system, followed by skin infections.
