Back pain is a pain that can occur with or without radiation to the buttocks and legs anywhere in the back. The cause of back pain varies from basic strain and sprain to debilitating intervertebral disc-impacting disease. There may be acute or chronic pain that may even need some form of surgical intervention by pain management doctors.
Factors that contribute to back pain include:
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Age
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Profession
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Lifestyle
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Accidents
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Degenerative illnesses
Causes
Back pain sometimes occurs without a cause that can be detected with a test or imaging study by your doctor. Conditions widely associated with back pain include:
Strain of the muscle or ligament - Repeated heavy lifting may strain back muscles and spinal ligaments or a sudden uncomfortable motion. Pressure on your back can cause muscle spasms when you have a poor physical condition.
Bulging or broken discs - In your back, discs serve as cushions between the bones (vertebrae). Within a disc, the soft material may bulge or rupture and press on a nerve. However without back pain, you may have a bulging or ruptured disc. For some other cause, disc disease is also incidentally observed when you have spine X-rays. Make sure you visit a back specialist at the earliest to have the disc problem treated.
Arthritis - The lower back may be affected by osteoarthritis. In certain cases, arthritis in the spine, a disorder called spinal stenosis, may lead to a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord.
Osteoporosis - When your bones become fragile and brittle, your spine's vertebrae will develop painful fractures.
Back Pain Signs
There is a high risk of developing degenerative diseases like arthritis that contribute to back pain as one gets older.
Excessive weight or obesity, smoking, pregnancy, an occupation requiring heavy weight lifting, long-lasting standing, hereditary variables, people with anxiety are at high risk of experiencing back pain.
If the patient has inflammation, swelling, urinary and fecal incontinence, fever, tingling, numbness, weight loss with back pain, immediate medical attention should be given.
Back Pain Management
In order to avoid back pain, there are some interventions that support.
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Exercise: Regular physical activity can help to make the back muscles strong. Back strengthening exercises, core strengthening exercises and swimming will avoid back spasms. Exercising for at least one hour a day increases the endurance of the back muscles. Ask your pain management doctors to get the exercises for your back pain.
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Weight Maintenance - Maintaining weight through a balanced diet and a daily diet requires the amount of calcium and vitamin D needed. It is also necessary to stop smoking and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
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Posture: Sit straight in the proper posture to keep the vertebrae straight. The back muscles are influenced by stooping posture. Without leaning forward or backward, stance should be straight, erect, balancing weight evenly on both sides of the buttocks while sitting and while standing on legs. When sitting, the back should be supported with rest and the elbows should be at right angles when working in front of a screen with the forearms kept in a horizontal position.
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Sleeping on a surface that provides the back with support is important. Choose neither a too soft or too hard mattress to sleep. This is because the curvature of the vertebrae is modified by this pose.
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Stop driving for longer periods at a time.
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Stop heavyweights being lifted. If so, without leaning or looking down, keep the head in an upright posture so that the spine remains straight.
In the case of acute back pain, medications such as NSAIDs and muscle relaxants are available over the counter and are helpful. There are few remedies that can relieve back pain by applying hot pads, physiotherapy, yoga, and traction in certain cases. The primary basis for relief is the treatment of the cause or underlying disorder that resulted in back pain, either by medical or surgical procedure.
See us at Neuroscience Specialists in OKC to put an end to the back problems. It is indeed necessary to have the treatment done on time. Ask our back specialists for the right treatment.
**Disclaimer- Information presented here is not intended to be qualified medical advice. Nothing expressed herein creates a doctor-patient relationship.