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Posts Tagged ‘Types Of Back Pain’

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.