Your Back Bone
Your back is supported by the spinal column, which are comprised with bones that are held by disks, tendons, connective tissues, ligaments. It also accommodates the central nerves. It lower region is held by larger groups of bones; the bones achieves a smaller base towards the top of its architecture. This way, the spine forms a thick cord that supports and protects the nerve tissues along the spine. Whenever you stand, you apply pressure on the spine, causing tension between the disc, ligaments and tissues. With movement, the tension and pressure slides on the other areas of your spine.
What is the purpose of your spine?
The lower region of your spine and hip joints comprise the lower portion of your back. The hip joints connect the back to the pelvis via the triangular bone, located at the base of the spine (sacrum). The joints attach the spine to the legs, which provide strength and support to the spinal column. You can find lumbar spinal disks at your back bone's structure. When your legs have joints to allow bending and movement, it is the spinal discs that allow movement to your back bone structure. Through application of brute force, we are able to sit and bend.
Your spine, particularly the lower back portion of the body basically supports the weight of the body and keeps it upright. This means that it is constantly subjected to mechanical stresses. Without proper care, your back bones can easily be damaged or become prone injuries, which often cause minor to chronic back pain.
Possible Causes
Pain that occurs at the lower back or lumbar spine may be experienced at some point of a person's life. Due to accidents, falls, injuries or diseases that weaken the bone. As it is, the spine or back bone normally suffers the constant stress and strain of constant bending, twisting and stretching due to body movements. In addition to physical injuries, back pain may also be caused by muscle or ligament strain or damage to the back bones and discs as well as spinal nerves, inadequate muscle strength, poor posture and obesity or being overweight. Since stress, anxiety and depression affects the blood flow through the bone and muscle tissues, these factors may also lead to pain.
More Serious Causes
Your seemingly innocent back pain may be indicative of more serious conditions. It may be a sign of more serious back bone, muscle or ligament problem. For instance, experiencing back pain and muscle spasms may be caused by lumbar muscle strain.
Piercing and episodic back pain may be experienced with ruptured inter-vertebral disc, a condition also known as herniated disc. Plain damage to the disc causes discogenic back pain. With age, the causes of back pain get more pronounced. Elderly people are more prone to osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, lumbar spine arthritis and spondylolisthesis, which are all degenerative diseases that affect the back bone, induced by old age and inducing back pain.
On Diagnosis
Since back pain is indicative of problems to your back bones, spine or lumbar discs, it needs to receive immediate medical attention. Doctors may recommend MRI or CT Scans to review and evaluate the severity of your back condition. Doctors may review areas such as alignment of bone and spine; X-rays may even be performed in this regard. But though the results of these tests are helpful in evaluating and diagnosing the cause of your back pain, it only gives what your doctor wants to see.
Common Treatment Issues
Back pain is a common condition suffered by the majority of the people in the planet. But while it is a common condition, doctors usually fail to determine its actual cause(s). When most doctors are fond putting patients complaining back pain under drug medication, they usually miss out some treatment options that are laid just in front of them. You need to seek a specialist to avoid suffering the mistakes of inappropriate medication. Back pain may be indicative of more serious conditions like misalignment of bones and spine. Hence, to gain the right path to treatment, you need to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional.
Home Care
At first, doctors assume that back pain could be transient and passing. Home care like bed rest and decreased activity are often recommended as initial treatment. Patients diagnosed with sciatica usually benefit from simple home care and tricks like application of local ice or heat over the affected area. Drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen may provide immediate pain relief.
When should you see a doctor?
If your pain fails to be resolved within a few days or even weeks, if it already awakens you at night or if it disturbs your sleeping habits, if it already affects normal bowel movement, if it brings about sweats, chills and other signs of infections and more unusual symptoms, you need to immediately contact your doctor.
Treatment Options
There is actually no pill that can solve back pain for real. While most individuals easily recover from back pain, some have to deal with it for the rest of their lives. Common treatment options range from ice, heat and medications to surgery, depending on the symptoms. Ask your doctor for a treatment schedule. If surgery is recommended, you may get reassurance by asking for a second opinion.
Caution
Look out for the common red flags of back pain. If you just recently incurred injuries due to accidents or falls, just had a recent infection, prior history of cancer, experience worse pain at rest or is 70 years old or older, you must immediately consult your doctor for a complete evaluation. Back pain can be a tell-tale sign of more serious conditions like fractures, infections or tumor of the spine.
Eduardo Fernandes-Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Back Pain & Physical Therapy.... [http://www.backpainanymore.com].
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