BackHealthUSA

Archive for the ‘Back Pain Causes’ Category

Summary: Back pain can be classified into three broad categories, namely axial, referred and radicular and there are separate treatments for each.
Back pain is now common specially among office going people who work for long hours in front of a computer or which is brought about by age due to degenerative bone conditions. This may involve the entire back or just the lower portion of the back just above the hips. Lower back pain, however, is more common. Mechanical or axial back pain can either be mild or acute, depending on the patient’s posture or daily activities.

Mechanical back pain worsens when the patient’s activities aggravates it. Front bending, for example, while gardening or slouching while sitting in a chair are its principal causes and relief can be got by changing positions only. Lying down helps for short period of time but staying in a supine position for too long can aggravate the condition. This type of back pain responds best to conservative treatment. Mild pain killers, heat treatment, massage and muscular manipulation are the prescribed forms of treatment and the patient usually gets relief quickly.

Referred pain, the second type of back pain is usually dull in nature and tends to move around. It intensifies or reduces sporadically with the discomfort originating in the lower back, spreading to the buttocks, groin area and upper thighs. This calls for collective treatment of ligaments, spine joints and muscles of the area in a conservative manner.

Radicular back pain, the third type is usually chronic and acute causing great discomfort to the patient. It starts from the hips and runs down the legs and is also called a sciatic nerve condition. The other symptoms are numbness, muscle weakness and a tingling sensation in the feet. This pain is generally caused spinal injury or due to a disturbed or prolapsed disc. Bone changes brought about by arthritis are also a cause for this pain.
This condition is usually treated by surgery, followed by conservative care to reduce inflammation, correct nerve imbalances and to straighten your posture. It is always advisable to avoid certain fatty foods in order to control back pain. Smoking is also strictly forbidden to avoid osteoporotic bone changes and smokers tend to heal more slowly in back pain cases.

It is also seen that weaknesses in any three of principal abdominal muscles are also responsible for chronic back pain by compressing small joints and discs of the lower back. It is, therefore, imperative to keep these muscles well toned through regular exercise and here, yoga is said to be extremely effective.

Summary: A common medical condition that we have encountered at some point in our lives is back pain. This condition is caused by a variety of factors and medical conditions. Consult your health care professional for proper advice on how to deal with your back pain.

Back pain is probably one of the most common discomforts that we have ever felt at some point in our life. In order to deal effectively with relieving this condition, we need to have a good understanding of what causes this disorder. In this way we can also formulate ways of preventing situations that may exacerbate or aggravate the pain we feel in our backs that could potentially lead to more serious medical conditions later on.

One of the most common causes of back pain is muscle strain, which occurs when there is an unexpected movement of the muscle in the wrong direction as in a twist, or trauma that could result in tears in the muscle tissue leading to pain.

Ligamentous strains are also very common causes of back pain that results from excessive stretching of the ligaments that is far beyond the normal means as a result of trauma or excessive athletic training.

Compression of the spinal nerves that result in herniated discs is one serious cause of back pain that need to be supervised and treated by your physician and physical therapist. These are usually the result cyclic vibrating movements or as a result of the wrong method of lifting heavy objects resulting in disc herniation. This type of injury causes radicular pain at the origin of trauma as well as the areas where the specific nerves course through.

For people beyond the age of fifty, there is a condition that causes back pain called spinal stenosis. This condition is due to a narrowed canal of the spine, which is caused by bony spurs as well as arthritic conditions. This injury is further aggravated when the sufferer lifts heavy objects as well as walking for prolonged periods. In order to correct the condition, surgery may need to be done.

Among the many causes of back pain for people over a certain age, osteoarthritis seems to be the culprit for people over 50 with chronic back pain issues. This is due to wear and tear and is part of aging. This could easily be prevented if the person maintains an active and healthy lifestyle by eating the right food, staying mobile through exercise and maintaining correct posture at all times.

For people that have a rheumatic disease, fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic back pain. Features of this condition include equal areas of pain accompanied by fatigue and insomnia. The condition should be present for at least three consecutive months with pain affecting specific sites of the back in order to have a diagnosis.

Summary: Back pain is a common problem nowadays among most age groups which is caused due to a number of reasons. Lifestyle, sitting posture, accidents are a few among many reasons why a person gets lower back pain.

Back pain, especially in the lower back region is a common phenomenon nowadays, and is seen mostly in those who work in offices or at computers for long periods of time. The condition induces tissue and muscle stretch or sprain, leading to sporadic or chronic pain in the lower back. Torn or injured ligaments, disc herniation and age-induced deterioration of the vertebrae are also causes of lower back pain.

Often inflammation of the sciatic nerve, spinal stenosis, natural bending of the spine or scoliosis, or a space occupying lesion or tumor which causes friction among surrounding nerves of the lower back may cause also pain. It is seen that patients of postherpetic neuralgia or spinal shingles suffer from the condition as do patients of severe abdominal or kidney problems. This pain, of course, is referred and cannot be attributed to orthopedic conditions, which include facet joint and ligament degeneration due to increased vertebral action.

In terms of treatment, back pain is best dealt with conservatively. Doing regular Yoga has proved to be very effective and doing certain asanas dictated by yogic principles help alleviate the problem. The other traditional methods include, acupuncture, massage, pain killers, physiotherapy and chiropractic procedures.

Yogic exercises are known to increase blood supply and, therefore, oxygen to the lower back and this helps in stretching the muscles evenly and without undue pressure. The other remedy is Pilates but yoga has and will continue to have precedence over anything else to relieve you of your suffering. As you stretch while dong yogic exercises, you are compelled to breathe deeper and this sends blood gushing to the lower back to dilute the toxins present there and to release blocked energy in the form of pain and stiffness.

Lifestyle changes are strongly advised as a first step towards back pain treatment. Try sitting in straight backed chairs and avoid slouching at any cost. This should become a habit with you and don’t go back to your wrong posture once the pain disappears. When you stand, try and keep your body weight evenly on two legs and if possible, try and stand on an elevated platform so that your feet are off the ground and keep your hips aligned to your ears. Every ten minutes or so, try and shift your weight from foot to foot. Sit straight and level your knees with your hips without crossing your legs. Try and avoid hunching when working on the computer.