Overview of Lower Back Pain
Lower
back
pain is one of the most common problems,
especially for adults. This pain is often caused by overused of muscles causing
strain or injury. If the daily activities require sitting and standing for
hours then it will certainly worsen the condition. Stress and injury can affect
the lower part of your back that can interfere your movement of the majority of
your time doing various activities. Most of people when have a condition like
that, they feel as if they want the pain disappears within seconds.
The lower back is an intricate
structure of interconnected and overlapping elements :
- Tendons and muscles and other soft
tissues
- Highly sensitive nerves and nerve
roots that travel from the lower back down into the legs and feet
- Small and complex joints
- Spinal discs with their gelatinous
inner cores.
You will experience lower back pain if there is irritation
or problems with any of these structures. Pain from resultant lower back muscle
spasms can be severe, and pain from a number of syndromes can become chronic.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is usually caused by
the condition of the back but also can be caused by other medical conditions.
Muscle injury is a very common cause
of lower back pain. This is usually brought about by stress which is normally
the result of bending incorrectly or lifting while carrying excess weight. This
type of back sprain is characterized by pain and stiffness that is evident
within a few hours of the injury. A day or two it can usually subsides,
although heavier strain can last longer days.
Inflammatory conditions such as osteoporosis can
cause some recurring
back pain. This
condition is caused by the degeneration of the joint in the backbone through
wear and tear and is often more painful in the morning. Another painful and
persistent inflammatory condition that causes persistent lower back pain is
called ankylosing spondylitis. A slipped or prolapsed disk can also be to blame
for the discomfort of back pain.
Severe lower back pain can also be caused by a
crush fracture which can result from a fall or other injury. A crush fracture
happens when a vertebra collapses. Other medical causes are mestastases or
secondary deposits of cancer and also spinal bone tumours.
Osteoporosis, a common condition of
the elderly, weakens the bones and makes the pain of arthritis even more
unbearable. It is caused by a reduction in the calcium content of the bones.
Because the backbone is weakened, compression fractures become more likely and,
as a result, there is severe lower back pain.
Kidney infections can be another
cause of lower back pain. the uterus becoming tipped during childbirth can also
be the cause.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Usually pain and tenderness on
movement started within 2-24 hours of injury or muscle tear. This can include
any sprain or strain of the muscles or ligaments and is usually noticed after
lifting heavy objects.
The similarity in terms of
lumbar disc slip
or rupture with
the symptoms mentioned above. However, in this instance the pain is more severe. Simple
act such as coughing or sneezing are also create pain in the back because the
back muscles go into painful spasm.Sciatica is different again in that the pain
spreads from the back, down the buttock and down the leg.
Osteoporosis and other conditions
caused by degenerative joint conditions come on gradually and is long term. Generally mild to
moderate pain but repeated over several years.
In some conditions such as fibroids
which are harmless tumors in the uterus, as well as in the case of large
abdominal tumor or pregnancy, the presence of lower back pain is only one of a
number of symptoms.
Lower back pain Relief
-
Stretching
Exercises. Some relief from the early stages of
lower back pain can be accomplished by performing simple stretches which are
often advised by your therapist.
-
Hot and cold treatment
The early stage of lower back pain
can be treated with Alternate hot and cold compress. You have to try out
whether ice will work better for you than heat. Experiment to determine which
one do you prefer and which one is more effective for you. Try to use ice pack
for pain and inflammation for at least 10-15 minutes. Once the pain has
subsided, apply some hot pack and do it for another 10-15 minutes.
-
Medications
- Pain killer such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the single most effective non prescription drugs for lower back pain and it has fewer side effects. It relieves pain by working its action into the brain to turn off the pain perception.
- NSAIDs such as Aspirin decreases swelling on the affected area. However, aspirin is not usually taken because of its life threatening effects.
- Prescribed Steroids which are effective in treating swelling; however, these drugs have a lot of adverse effects so the dose should be exact and be given regularly and on time.
- For the dose, frequency and duration of the drug, consult your health care provider for safety.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve simulation is a method employed to bring lower back pain relief. A
battery-powered device is used to send mild electric pulses going to the nerve
fibers in order to block pain signals to the brain thus alleviating the pain.
-
Ultrasound is a non-invasive method that works by warming the internal
tissues of the body that results in the relaxation of muscles at the back.
- Surgical therapy
is one of the many methods on how to relieve lower back pain but it is the
least thing to do when the patient does not respond to therapies. It is
depending on the doctor's advice if surgery is really needed and consent from
the patient must also be considered.
References
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