Back Pain

Do You Suffer from Back Pain?

We all know that just about every movement you make with your body, we rely on our back… and to even have a slight misalignment can cause disabling back pain.

According to some studies, back pain occurs in four of every five people (adults). Since it has such wide occurrence it is better to take some steps to prevent back pain from happing. Or if you are already are dealing with back pain, there are also some steps you can take to prevent it from becoming worse.

So what are some of the causes?

It seems that most back pain sufferers complain about pain their lower back. This is simply because it is where most of your body weight is supported. People often get lower back pain as a result of strained ligaments or back muscles due to any of the following activities:

·         Bad posture

·         Lifting heavy items using your back

·         Sudden movements

·         Muscle spasm

·         Stress

In some cases, back pain can be traced back to precise conditions, such as:

• Herniated Disk – When the disk material pinches and presses a nerve.
• Sciatica – When a herniated disk presses on the sciatic nerve. The condition causes sharp, shooting pain through the buttocks and the back of the leg.
• Spinal Stenosis – When the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots becomes narrow. Caused by arthritis and bone overgrowth. Pain results when a nerve gets pinched in the narrow space.
• Spondylosis – A type of arthritis affecting the spine due to degenerative changes brought on by aging.
• Spondylolisthesis – When one vertebra in the spinal column slips forward over another.

Treatment for the instances where it is premsied on a definable cause is generally easily identified. There are, however, other instances and specific conditions not mentioned here where back pain may be caused, but we decided against mentioning them here since they occur so rarely.

Medical Advice

Home treatment and self-care are often the best method to take care of back pain. However, there are rare instances where back pain could signal a more serious medical problem, in which case, medical advice is needed.

Take heed of the following symptoms of back pain:

• Constant or intense back pain, especially when lying down at night
• Back pain spreads down one or both legs
• Weakness, numbness, or tingling in one or both legs
• New bowel or bladder problems
• Abdominal pain or pulsation, fever
• Follows a fall, blow to your back or other injury
• Accompanied by unexplained weight loss

See your doctor as soon as possible if you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms. People with a history of osteoporosis, cancer, steroid use, drug or alcohol abuse should also see the doctor if they experience back pain. Also, if you are over 50 years of age, it is recommended that you seek the advice of a doctor.