Back Pain
Only the common cold causes more missed days of work than low back pain. The lower (or lumbar) region of the spine connects your upper body (chest and abdomen) to your lower body (hips and legs) and provides tremendous mobility and strength. Twisting, turning, bending, standing, lifting, and walking all rely on the lower back.
Back pain may range from a mild ache or stiffness to severe pain that prevents movement of any sort. Stress on or injury to the muscles and ligaments that support the spine are a common source of back pain. A sedentary lifestyle and being overweight increase the back’s vulnerability to stress and injury. Strenuous sports activities and physically demanding jobs can also cause stress and injury to the back. In addition, aging increases the risk of back injury due to age-related changes, osteoporosis, and arthritis. A prolapsed disk (when one of the pads of cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine protrudes and presses on a ligament or a nerve, causing back pain) also is more likely to occur in older adults.
When back pain is chronic or severe or affects a person’s ability to function normally, it requires treatment. Contact your doctor if the pain is not relieved within a few days, is severe and constant, recurs, or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as radiating pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, bowel or bladder incontinence, fever, or vomiting. Your doctor can assess the extent and seriousness of a back injury through a thorough physical examination (especially of the back and the legs). Depending on your symptoms and the results of the examination, you may need to undergo X rays, computed tomography (CT) scanning, or magnetic resonance imaging.
Most low back pain results from sprains or strains and will respond to self treatment measures such as limited rest, anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen, back stretching and strengthening exercises, and prevention. In some cases the doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants to relieve symptoms. Your doctor may recommend that you wear a lightweight brace to support your back. He or she also may recommend heat treatments and massage, or traction (a treatment that stretches your spine with weights while you lie on your back). It is important to note that prolonged bed rest weakens the back muscles and is not recommended as a treatment for back pain.
Tags: Back Pain
Posted in Bones and Joints
Comments (1)
Your blog on Back pain is really has helpful information to back pain sufferers. I recommend some information on MED-X therapies to remove neck pain and headaches using Med-X Cervical Extension machine and Med-X Lumbar Extension machine. These are FDA-approved for the treatment of lower back and leg pain, and neck and arm pain.