What does lumbago mean?
Lumbago is a traditional term for acute pain in the muscles of the lower back, often involving stiffness and difficulty bending or walking. It is especially associated with a sudden episode following physical strain, awkward movement, or prolonged strain, although the word can also be used more broadly for lower-back discomfort. The expression is formal and now somewhat dated: most people simply say “backache” or “lower-back pain,” and doctors usually describe the condition according to its cause rather than using this general label. Lumbago should not be confused with sciatica, which specifically involves pain related to the sciatic nerve and may extend down one leg. The word is nevertheless memorable because it captures the familiar experience of a sharply painful, locally restricted lower-back complaint.
nounA painful condition affecting the muscles of the lower back, often causing severe pain and difficulty moving. The term is commonly used for a sudden episode of lower-back pain, especially one attributed to muscular strain.
- Painful muscular inflammation or strain in the lower back, especially when sudden and severe.
"After lifting the heavy box, he was incapacitated by a severe attack of lumbago."
"She spent the morning in bed with lumbago brought on by gardening."
"The doctor diagnosed a mild case of lumbago and prescribed rest and pain relief."
Rare; the word is used chiefly in the singular or in fixed phrases such as “an attack of lumbago.”
"The physician's notes described recurrent attacks of lumbagos."
Lumbago is an old-fashioned name for a familiar modern complaint: the sudden, disabling “locked-back” ache that can follow lifting, twisting, or awkward posture.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lumbago come from?
Lumbago comes from Latin lumbago, meaning “a pain or weakness of the loins,” derived from lumbus, “loins” or “lower back,” the same source as English lumbar. The word entered English through Latin and was used in medical writing during the early modern period. Its later sense for a painful condition of the lower back developed from the older physiological sense of weakness or pain in the loins.
How lumbago is actually used
The term is formal and somewhat old-fashioned; in modern medical usage, “lower-back pain” or “back pain” is more common. It is generally used for muscular or nonspecific pain rather than as a precise diagnosis.
Easily confused with lumbago
Lumbago refers to pain in the muscles or soft tissues of the lower back, whereas sciatica is pain caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, often radiating down the leg.