I heard that epidural leads to permanent back pain post delivery..is this true?

The belief that that epidural can cause prolonged and even chronic back pain is fairly common even among medical professionals. But epidural or not, back pain among pregnant women and after birth is common. There are several syndromes which have back pain as the main complaint. Most common is Gestational Back Pain (GBP), and it affects between 40-90% percent of all pregnant women. It is thought to be related to the relaxin, the hormone that is produced during pregnancy that loosens ligaments of the spine and pelvis and makes them more flexible. The side-effect of this is that the spine becomes less stable and more susceptible to straining. Moreover, changes in the biomechanics of a pregnant body can contribute to back pain - eg the heavy uterus causes the center of gravity to shift forward and as a result, the mommy-to-be has to lean back in order to keep the balance thus causing back pain in the long run. Sometimes the back pain may be caused by factors not related to pregnancy, such as protruding discs or osteoarthritis of the spine. You can read more about epidural and back pains here: http://www.allaboutepidural.com/epidural-and-back-pain