What causes back pain?

Is back pain caused by age-related wear and tear to the bony structures that make up vertebrae? Or does the problem lie with the discs that provide the shock absorption between individual vertebrae? Or are spinal nerves protruding from the spinal cord? Or perhaps the small articular processes are not working properly? Or possibly it's a problem with tendons and ligaments? And what about the sacroiliac joint?

From the above, it's clear that back pain can have its origin in a range of spinal structures. If the muscles stabilising the spine are too weak, the strain on the small articular processes and intervertebral discs is too great. This produces early evidence of wear and tear: facet joint dysfunction, disc damage, inflammation, irritation or compression of nerve roots (e.g. sciatic nerve).

A vicious circle:

Pain » inactivity » muscle atrophy » instability » pain

To interrupt this vicious circle and rectify the deconditioning syndrome, we need to strength muscles and improve the range of motion where the symptoms occur.

Other questions:

• When is Medical Strengthening Therapy recommended?
• What form does Medical Strengthening Therapy take?
• Analysis of results and final medical examination 
• Why is MST more likely to succeed than other therapies?
• Therapy post surgery
• What is about the cervical spine?
• Reimbursement by health insurers