Back pain is one of the most common conditions that affect the individual at some point in their life. It is also considered as a leading cause of disability worldwide. Your back pain can be healed with proper body mechanics and home treatment. But, if you experience severe pain, you may have to visit your doctor.
The human back consists of a complex structure of muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and discs. Back pain ranges from dull, continuous pain to sharp and severe pain. It can originate from muscles, nerves, bones, joints, or spine. It is estimated that nine out of ten individuals suffer from mild to severe back pain. However, the condition may rarely cause disability.
The problems associated with any component of the back may lead to back pain. The pain may be acute (sudden pain and lasts for less than six weeks) or chronic (lasts for more than three months). The common causes of back pain are listed below:
The primary symptom of back pain is an ache or persistent pain on your back. The other symptoms include:
The factors that increase your risk of developing back pain include the following:
A prolonged back pain can lead to the following complications:
Your doctor diagnoses the back pain by assessing your ability to sit, stand, and walk. A pain assessment is also performed where you will be asked to rate your severity of pain on the scale of zero to ten. This helps your doctor to determine the origin of pain and also the presence of muscle spasms. Sometimes, to rule out other causative factors, your doctor may suggest any of the following tests:
If your doctor suspects bone tumors, osteoporosis, or spinal stenosis, then bone scans and nerve studies are suggested.
In the majority of the individuals, back pain resolves itself without any medical help. Depending on the type, whether acute or chronic back pain, your doctor might prescribe the following:
Medication:
Surgery:
Your doctor may recommend a surgery only if you suffer from chronic back pain which was not relieved by any other therapy. You may require surgery if you have herniated disk, spinal stenosis, vertebral fractures, or degenerative disk disease.
Complementary and alternative therapy:
Several alternative therapies may resolve your back pain, and those include chiropractic, osteopathy, shiatsu, and acupressure.
Back pain is managed or prevented by improving your physical status and keeping your back healthy and strong. The following are the tips to relieve back pain:
