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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Lower Back Pain



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.

lower back pain relief

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

“Lower Back Pain Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/lower-back-pain/lower-back-pain-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment ( August 30 2013 )













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