Posted on 17th Nov 2011 @ 6:20 AM

Everyone knows the usual causes of back pain: bad posture, weak core muscles, and our personal favorite, weight gain. Most can be alleviated with a combination of exercise and small changes like using a more ergonomic chair.

Some causes of back pain will surprise you, though. Here are a few of our favorite oddballs:

1. Being too athletic.

We love this cause. It turns out, too much exercise can be almost as bad for your back as too little. (Almost.) Athletes have some unusual causes of back pain, including a variety of oddball fractures from overuse, all of which have names longer than we can pronounce.

2. Depression.

The relationship between back pain and depression goes both ways. Having chronic back pain can certainly lead to depression, but (depressingly) being depressed can also cause chronic back pain.

3. The wrong size bra.

Everyone has heard some variation on the popular statistic: Anywhere from 70 to 85 percent of American women are supposedly wearing the wrong size bra. In addition to making the wearer look older, heavier, and less comfortable, the wrong size bra can cause significant back pain.

4. Smoking.

Here’s final proof that smoking is bad for just about every single part of the body. A recent study showed a direct link between smoking cigarettes and degenerative lumbar spine problems. The cause is most likely decreased blood flow to the discs.

5. Genetics.

A great big boo for this news: A recent study conducted at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Anatomy and Anthropology concluded that some kinds of back pain might be genetic. Subjects were three times more likely to have back pain if someone in their family did. But there is an upside: it’s one more thing you can blame on your folks.