Back pain is the most important reason for people to miss work as they are compelled to meet doctors either by going to a back pain specialist hospital or by going to a clinic near his house. This condition is considered as the leading cause of disability throughout the world. Most people would have experienced back pain at least once in their life time.
Fortunately there are some easy and simple measures with which one can prevent back pain episodes completely in his life. If prevention tactics do not work, one can resort to home treatment. Practicing proper body mechanics has been found to be very useful in healing one’s back pain within a few weeks and make his body fully functional. Often surgery is not needed to escape from back pain. Only rarely surgeons resort to surgical procedures when all the conventional treatment procedures do not yield any appreciable difference.
Symptoms of back pain
- Stabbing of shooting pain
- Muscle ache
- Pain radiating down your leg
- Pain which gets worsened when standing, walking, lifting etc
- Pain that improves while reclining
Most back pains have been found to improve considerably or vanish altogether within some weeks as self-care and home treatment improves. If no appreciable difference or improvement is noticed it will be better to see the doctor and act according to his advice under the following circumstances.
- When bowel or bladder problems are created afresh due to back pain
- When back pain is accompanied by fever
- When back pain is caused as a result of a fall, or a blow or other injury
- If it remains severe and does not improve even after taking medications
- If the back pain spreads down the legs below the knee
- If tingling, numbness or weakness is noticed in both legs.
- If unexpected weight loss is experienced as a result of the back pain
Similarly, if you are a person aged above 50, then you must see doctor even if you are getting back pain for the first time in your life.
Causes of Injury and spinal degeneration
Sometimes people feel back pain coming suddenly and lasting for about six weeks in acute condition. This can often be the after effect of a fall or a heavy lifting effort made by the patient. Back pain that lasts more than three months is not common than the pain referred above. Back pains for which one is not able to relate to any cause can be identified correctly by the orthopaedist with the help of image studies. Most common conditions which can be linked to back pains are:
Ligament or muscle strain: Repeated heavy lifting or some sudden awkward movement can cause strain to your back bones or muscles resulting in painful muscle spasms.
Bulging ruptured discs: Discs can be considered as cushions that act as shock absorbers between the bones of your spine. The soft material inside the disk gets bulged as a result of continuous usage or heavy and sudden shocks. Sometimes bulged discs without any pain can also happen. Often disk diseases are found incidentally when X-rays are taken for diagnosing some other medical conditions.
Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease occurs commonly on knees, hip, lower back, neck etc. Cartilage acts as cushion in the joint between bones. Due to wear and tear, overuse and overage the cartilage breaks causing pain and swelling. Overtime the cartilage beaks down and the spurs rub against the bones leading to pain and joint damage.
Skeletal irregularities: in some persons the spine curves to one side and this condition is known as scoliosis. Scoliosis curve of the spine is either S shaped or C shaped. In some cases the degree of curve does not change as time passes but in some other cases the curve increases as time passes. Back pain due to scoliosis often comes out only after the middle ages.
Osteoporosis: osteoporosis can occur as a result of lower bone mass or upper bone mass than normal. Due to this condition bones usually break in the vertebrae, forearm, lower arm, spine, hip etc. According to back pain doctor Woodbridge VA acute pain and inability to carry out normal functions are often shown by osteoporosis patients.
