Sciatica refers to pain caused by the sciatic nerve in your lower back, hips, buttocks, and down each leg to the feet. Pain can be from mild to a sharp or intense burning sensation from the lower back and down to the leg(s).

A muscular strain for the low back is often described as dull and achy with a generalized sore and tight sensation. The symptoms may be experienced no one side or both sides of the low back.

A ligament sprain for the low back can occur from stretching or tearing the ligaments in the lumbar spine, sacrum, or pelvis. This injury is often the result of a sudden, awkward movement or overuse with poor posture with repetitive movements.

A herniated disc (bulging or ruptured disc) is when one of the discs in the spine tears or ruptures. It can occur anywhere on the spine, irritating the rest of the spine and nerves within. Symptoms can result in pain or weakness.

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is when one or more discs in the spinal cord’s vertebrae deteriorate. This disease is a common age-related condition. Common symptoms are muscle spasms, pain, and weakness in your back, but may also spread to the neck, shoulder, arm, or hands.

Spinal stenosis narrows the spinal canal’s space, pressuring the nerves throughout the spine. It is common to feel pain, muscle weakness, or numbness in the lower back, neck, and shoulder.

An annual tear results when the intervertebral disc’s outer layer (annulus fibrosus) has been torn. The tearing can allow the jelly-like inner layer (nucleus pulposus) to rupture, causing additional pain and symptoms.

While fractures are clean breaks, a stress fracture is a small crack or severe bruising of a bone. Stress fractures occur when your muscles become tired and cannot absorb the shock from activity. Pain is the most common symptom of a fracture, along with tenderness and swelling.

Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), or osteoarthritis, is the most common type of arthritis caused by the wear-down of the cartilage of the joints. The symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of flexibility.

Scoliosis is the abnormal sideways curvature of the spine, and surgery often occurs if the curvature is large enough. There is often a visible change in posture with uneven shoulders and waist, and one side of the rib cage is more prominent, which is more noticeable when bending forward.

Spondylolisthesis occurs when a lumbar vertebra is shifted forward relative to the vertebra below. Symptoms can include pain; if the shifting is too far, leg pain and numbness can occur. In more severe instances, corrective surgery may be needed.

Spondylolysis is a fracture in the pars interarticularis that often occurs from repetitive stress, such as back bending. Initially, symptoms are experienced in the low back and can progress to buttock and leg symptoms. Without proper management, spondylolysis can result in spondylolithesis.

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure to fuse two or more vertebrae. It reduces pain and helps with weakness, instability, and deformities. It can also relieve herniated discs.