Chronic Low Back Pain - Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

There are three stages of low back pain:

Acute: if it lasts less than six weeks Sub-acute: if it lasts from six to twelve weeks Chronic: if it persists beyond twelve weeks.

A large number of causes for our back pain are rooted in its lower area. The lower back is an axle over which most muscle movements take place.

Symptoms

Low back pain, as the name suggests, occurs not only in the lower back, but it may also occur at the bottom of the ribs and at the top of the legs. It travels towards the buttocks and down to the legs reaching sometime to the feet. It generally occurs without any warning.

It becomes worse when a person bends or even sits in an easy chair. You cannot change sides even in the bed. You feel spasms of pain in your back muscles even if you sneeze or cough.

Causes

A major cause of the low back pain is the strain upon the muscles or other soft structures such as tendons and ligaments connected to the back bones. Sometimes, a disc in our lumber spine, which acts as a cushion between the bones, gets strained and bulges out. It presses against the nerve located close to it causing what we call low back pain.

Prevention

Exercises

The key to preventing the occurrence of low back pain is to stay fit and active by taking low back specific exercises regularly.

Right Posture

o Maintain right posture in whatever position you are, whether you are sitting, standing or working.

o Be careful while lifting heavy objects. It is better to call someone to help you rather than lift it alone.

o Hold your load close to your body.

o Try to bend at your knees rather than at your back. Carry your load such as shopping on both your sides. It is better to use shopping trolley.

Treatment

You can treat your back pain at your level if it is at the initial stage. Take rest after workouts. You may also take simple pain killers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, if needed.

But if your pain has become chronic, you must see your doctor. He may conduct a CT or MRI scan to diagnose the real cause of the problem.

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Get Back Pain Relief For Your Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain is the worst type of back pain a person can suffer, as it can go one for months, years, or even a lifetime. Chronic back conditions are typically caused by two different things. First, a psychological problem can be a very hard cause to diagnose. Often doctors will report a crooked spine, but treatments never resolve the pain and it continues.

The second cause is a physical condition that is misidentified or unable to be identified. The issues doctors run into with treatment are that there are many things that could be causing the chronic back condition. With all the nerves and muscles in the back and working with the spine, it can be difficult to identify which is causing the problem, if it is even a physical problem.

Chronic back pain can lead many sufferers to depression, as they cannot find a cure for the constant pain. The depression can worsen an already existing psychological problem or create one. This may cause a mental block that will prevent any cures from reducing or eliminating back problems. The best way to deal with a psychological back pain issue is to get educated. Identifying how the body is supposed to work and not work is essential to breaking down mental walls that are contributing to pain. Often an emotional problem is the cause of psychological induced pain.

Understanding that the mind and body work together, in health and in pain, will help the sufferer identify that an emotional issue is really the cause of the pain. The sufferer can then find ways to deal with the emotional problem and understand why it does not need to cause back pain. Sometimes, attending therapy sessions with other chronic back condition sufferers will help, as many chronic pain sufferers feel very alone and like no one understands what they are going through. Many medical professionals believe that most chronic back issues are psychological.

Physical conditions can be just as hard to treat psychological conditions. There are so many potential problems areas in the back; if the pain is not being caused by the common causes, like muscle strains or injured discs, a deeper evaluation may leave the sufferer feeling more confused than when they first arrived at the doctor. Standard therapies like heat and cold therapy, massage, and exercise may provide temporary relief for chronic back pain suffers, but long term relief is hard to find.

Studies suggest that exercise can significantly reduce the pain of chronic back conditions, however many suffers find it hard to exercise because of the pain. Though many mainstream medical professionals may not support alternative treatments, some suffers say they have found great relief from acupuncture, massage, lumbar supports, and tough therapies.

Chronic back pain suffers should not lose hope in finding a cause and treatment for the pain. Continue to work with a doctor. If the doctor has not been able to identify the problem, consider visiting with a psychologist to possibly identity psychological problems causing the pain. Suffers should educate themselves about the body and try different home care treatments. Chronic back problems can be cured. Continue looking for the answer and you will be better off.

Discover effective back pain exercises that will help you to control your back pain once and for all. You will see the advantages of using these tried and tested back pain exercises to give you the back pain relief you are looking for.

Chronic Lower Back Pain - You CAN Get Rid Of It!

Chronic lower back pain can be caused by quite a few different factors. The problem is, the lower back (lumbar region) is the main support for the weight bearing motions we all go through every day and is particularly susceptible to injury.

Your back is a powerful, intricately designed support system for your body that is made up of bone, muscular tissues, tendons, ligaments and discs. They have to all be in balance and work together or injury and chronic lower back pain is the result.

If we try to lift something incorrectly or take part in a strenuous physical activity (like sports) without an adequate stretch and warm-up, we could pull, strain or tear a muscle. Or, an the worst end of the spectrum, could even cause bone fractures.

Chronic Lower Back Pain - The Disc...

These same types of activities could create a bulging, slipped or herniated disc. The discs are made up of cartilage pads that act like shock absorbers between the vertebrae. They cushion the area in between the different segments of the spine.

Daily gravity, wear and tear on the discs makes the fluids seep out of them - making them less effective as shock absorbers as the day wears on. This loss of fluid can cause us to lose as much as 3/4 of an inch in height throughout the day! This is normal and the liquids are reabsorbed at night (if you get a good nights rest) but as we age, the ability to reabsorb the liquids lessens. This is commonly known as degenerative disc disease.

And these are only a few of the problems that could cause chronic lower back pain and have us searching for some severe back pain relief. There is sciatica, osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatism, just to name a couple others.

In many cases, it is difficult to determine - even for medical professionals - what the root cause of lower back pain is. It could be something as simple as bad posture!

Chronic Lower Back Pain - Muscle Strain

But, more often than not, chronic lower back pain is caused by a soft tissue muscle strain. These can be notoriously difficult to recover from - thus the chronic lower back pain.

Research has shown that muscle strain can lead to eventual total imbalance of the spine and its structure... which in turn leads to a relentless strain on the muscle groups, ligaments, skeletal frame (bones), as well as discs, causing the lower back to be even more vulnerable to further injuries.

Whatever is causing the chronic lower back pain can eventually lead to other problems as we compensate for our injuries. For example, if you have strained a muscle you will more than likely begin to carry yourself differently to avoid the pain. In doing so, you end up over using muscles groups that weren't sore to begin with, and end up with more pain in new areas.

Stress and depression can also cause chronic lower back pain. An individual's state of mind can have a powerful impact on the height of your pain as well as whether or not it results in long lasting, chronic lower back pain. Individuals that suffer from depression, are under a huge amount of stress, or are generally unhappy will often experience symptoms and seek lower back pain relief.

Are you scared yet? You should be, I certainly am! Chronic lower back pain is nothing to fool around with.

Chronic Lower Back Pain Prevention...

If you are healthy now, get started on a daily regimen of back and abdominal exercises. These should include both stretches and strengthening. Don't forget your abdominal muscles! They help support your back more than you may imagine. And yes, if you are overweight, you need to change that.

These preventative type exercises can be done in only a few minutes a day, but can easily save you a lifetime of pain and suffering. According to CNN.com "More than 50 million Americans deal with chronic pain, at a cost of more than $100 billion annually." It is one of the leading causes of missed work! Chronic Lower Back Pain Recovery...

If you are already injured...

As always, it is best to check with your doctor to be certain of the cause, but it is likely a muscle strain. In that case, take an anti-inflammatory medication (a systemic enzyme) and apply ice for the first 48 hours. Stay away from the prescription and OTC medications, they all have well documented side effects that can literally kill you!

Our bodies naturally produce anti-inflammatory enzymes. As we age and/or when we are injured, we need to boost our systemic enzymes. As pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication, they work better than anything you are likely to be taking OTC and they have no known side effects!

Next, apply heat to get the blood flowing into the area. If there is someone that can give you a massage that is a great option. A massage will not only get the blood flowing, but will help to release our body's natural pain killing endorphins.

While injured, though the desire will be to rest, current research shows that inactivity will weaken the muscles and make the problem worse. You need to stay active...Start with some - gentle - stretches and gradually (as your back gets better) work your way into muscle strengthening routines. The good news is...You don't need to live with chronic lower back pain.

Once you become aware of some of the causes of chronic lower back pain, you can start working on the solution. Whether it is just making simple lifestyle changes or requires medical attention, you can find the help you need.

What if your chronic lower back pain just won't go away?

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Back Pain Help - Don't Let It Become Chronic

Don't be afraid to get back pain help. Periodic pain will become chronic if left untreated by a professional. If you fear that proper back care will end up being very expensive, call your local chiropractor and see what you can arrange for a payment plan. If you already have a chronic condition or suspect that you have a disc herniation, be sure to get professional advice right away.

Simply having a severe muscle spasm can cause you pain that makes you think something worse has happened. Yet in many cases, you have over-exerted your back muscles with a sudden non-calculated movement, for example, while twisting or while off balance. The muscles spasm, in order to hold you as still as possible, to protect your back. The misalignment of the spine will probably stay in place unless the muscles are relaxed with ice, some physio therapy, and often some gentle traction.

A severe injury may result in a swollen and inflamed disc, or cushioning tissue, that divides the spinal vertebrae. If the disc swells, it will fill up the space that also accommodates the nerve and spinal ligament. It will press on the nerve, causing pain, and press against the bones, causing more pain, and may squeeze out from in between the adjacent bones. Thus, you have a swollen, inflamed, painful bulging disc, or herniated disc.

Since the nerve is now irritated and hurting, you have the much feared "pinched nerve". Anti-inflammatory drugs can help with extreme situations, but will not repair this condition. Physio therapy and chiropractic care are the ideal choice to get you feeling better.

Spinal decompression is done with a traction table that gently and repeatedly pulls the vertebrae away from the swollen disc. This allows a flow of nutrient-carrying blood and fluids to enter the area and promote healing. Discs that are injured can become dehydrated, so the traction is necessary to remedy this condition.

Regular icing in between treatments is recommended. Always use a fabric covered or towel- wrapped ice pack, use for about fifteen minutes only. Repeat as often as every hour if you can. Never fall asleep on an ice pack. You lose the effect of the treatment by letting it heat up, and after all, you would be sleeping on a bump.

Relief is always available, so be sure to ask your friends, coaches, or consult your local listings to help you find a health care practitioner such as a chiropractor, who is a specialist in back pain help.

How to Treat Chronic Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica With Natural and Alternative Treatments

Most people, at some point in their lives, experience some type of short-lived back pain. This is usually a relatively temporary occurrence that doesn't interfere with daily life in a major way. But, for an unlucky percentage of the population, back pain is a chronic problem that's debilitating physically and emotionally. To make matters worse, treating and managing chronic back pain tends to be a frustrating process because not all causes are totally understood. The first step to treating and managing chronic back pain is finding a doctor who specializes in back disorders, an orthopedic surgeon or a neurologist. This doctor will be able to diagnose what type of pain you have and, hopefully, determine what is causing it.

Neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica may be muscular or nerve-related. It may occur in the upper or lower portion of the back. (Lower back pain is the most common type, and some studies indicate that its prevalence is on the rise, possibly due to a higher percentage of the population being overweight or obese.) It may be the result of an injury or it may be age-related. Common causes of chronic back pain include herniated discs, arthritis and sciatica.

Conventional treatments for chronic neck pain, back pain, and sciatica include oral medications, injections, weight loss and surgery. If you have tried these options without success, or if the cause of your pain has been diagnosed as 'non-specific,' it may be time to consider alternatives such as physical therapy, reducing stress, getting more and better sleep, changing your diet, getting acupuncture or acupressure treatments, going to a masseuse regularly, using an inversion board, or getting chiropractic adjustments.

Physical Therapy: If your back pain is caused by muscular stiffness or inflammation, physical therapy may be helpful. The purpose of physical therapy is to loosen and work muscles to improve your mobility. You may be able to independently perform flexion (bending forward), extension (bending backward) and other stretching exercises. Or, you may need to go to a specialist to help you perform the needed movements (possibility in conjunction with apply heat/cold treatments and/or electrical stimulation).

Stress Reduction: High levels of stress intensify the body's sensitivity to pain. Therefore, reducing stress is one way to reduce neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. Consider visiting a mental health care specialist to develop a plan of action for reducing stress in your life. Managing stress through the use of regular meditation or deep-breathing exercises can be helpful as well. You may prefer to practice such exercises on your own, or as part of a guided group.

Improving Sleep: Not getting enough sleep, or having poor-quality sleep, can be both a cause and a symptom of chronic back pain. If you feel tired in addition to having back pain, or frequently wake up at night in extreme discomfort, consider spending some time addressing this aspect of your overall health. Of course, sleeping on a comfortable mattress that properly aligns your spine is important. But ruling out disorders like sleep apnea is a smart idea. No matter what, if you're as rested as you can be, you'll be likely to experience less pain and be better able to deal with the pain you do have.

Dietary Changes: It's probably pretty obvious that eating a healthful, varied diet and maintaining a consistent, healthy weight is vital to overall well-being. But other, more specific changes to your diet might help reduce back pain and sciatica. For example, you may have food allergies or sensitivities that you're not aware of, deficiencies in specific nutrients or vitamins (like Vitamin D), or undiagnosed digestive problems (like celiac disease). Elimination diets, allergy testing and other diagnostics can help you determine if a diet-related problem is causing or exacerbating your back pain.

Acupuncture and Acupressure: While not totally accepted in the U.S. nor confirmed to be effective, this practice is gaining popularity. It involves inserting thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body to unblock 'Qi' or 'life-force' channels. Studies have confirmed that acupuncture may be effective in reducing neck pain and back pain if combined with other treatments. Some practitioners use the same principle to perform acupressure, in which pressure (rather than needles) is applied to specific points on the body.

Massage: As with physical therapy, if your neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica is caused by muscle tightness, massage may help. Massage may be general in nature, or more specialized as with 'rolfing,' a practice that involves loosening the fascia (tissue covering muscles) in the back through the use of strong pressure.

Inversion Therapy: If you have back pain and sciatica caused by a compressed disc or sciatica, inversion therapy (a form of 'traction' treatment) may provide short-term relief. It involves hanging upside down by the ankles or tipping upside down in a special table, which allows gravity to stretch the spine, decompressing nerve roots and discs in the process. This isn't a long-term solution to chronic pain, but might be helpful in combination with other therapies.

Chiropractic Treatment: This type of treatment involves physical manipulation of the spine and/or surrounding tissues to alleviate neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica. It is performed by chiropractors and osteopathic physicians, and may be helpful but shouldn't be used if you have certain conditions such as compressed spinal cord or inflammatory arthritis. Check with your primary doctor first.

In most cases, the options discussed here represent ways to manage chronic back pain rather than cure it. One or more of these options may temporarily eliminate or alleviate your pain, but it's quite likely that you'll need ongoing treatment to maintain a pain-free or pain-reduced life. Exercise, weight loss, and any one or several of the above strategies, when applied in concert will alleviate and possibly eliminate neck pain, back pain, and sciatica once and for all!

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John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy