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Symptoms

Pain in the back, frequently in the lower back.

If pain comes after lifting something heavy, after coughing, or after unusually heavy exercise, and the pain prevents you from moving or shoots down one leg, you may have a herniated disk.

Causes

Backache, or pain felt in the spinal column, is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in the Western world. Your spinal column has a complicated interconnection of muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments.

It is helpful to identify the various parts of the spine, also called the vertebrae (singular is vertebra): The top part of the spine, where the neck is located, is called the cervical spine (or cervicals); the shoulder and mid-part (which protrudes outward in an adult) is called the thoracic; the lower portion (called the hollow of the back) is the lumbar; and the bottom part (ending in the tailbone or coccyx) is the sacrum. The first cervical is the atlas. This enables your head to tilt up or down. The second is the axis; it permits your head to turn from side to side.

Aches and pains in the lower back can be a chronic problem. This pain can be in the spine or it can be in the sacroiliac. The sacroiliac joint connects (articulates is the correct word) the spine to the pelvic bone. (There can also be pain in the muscles of the lower back; it is called lumbago.)

A subluxation occurs when two vertebrae get out of proper alignment with one another. A chiropractor puts these back in place for relatively little cost.

Sciatica is chronic pain in the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body. This nerve, which passes down through the upper leg, can experience neuralgia and neuritis as a result of a pinched nerve in the lumbar region. If the problem is not solved, eventually the leg where the pain is may no longer receive nerve signals from the brain or the central nervous system.

The intervertebral disks (also spelled discs) are made of cartilage and act as cushions between the vertebrae. Each disk has a tough, fibrous, outer layer surrounding a soft interior, which provides the cushioning.

Lumbar disk herniation and lumbar disk prolapse occur when the disk herniates (ruptures or breaks) and some of this soft inner disk material pushes outward against the spinal cord to one degree or another. This may be very serious; and, like sciatica, it can lead to muscle wasting, reduced nerve reflexes, and muscle weakness. Disk herniation and prolapse are often erroneously referred to as a "slipped disk."

Causes of lower-back pain include wrenched or damaged muscles, bones, tendons, or ligaments, Kidney or bladder infection, prostate problems, or female pelvic disorders may cause backache. Overeating, overdrinking, eating the wrong kinds of food, and constipation can also be involved. The spinal bones, and muscles attached to them, are weakened by wrong habits. Chronic conditions causing back pain include arthritis, bone disease, or abnormal curvature of the spine (scoliosis).

Other causes of back pain are poor posture, walking habits, improper shoes, lifting, straining, calcium deficiency, slouching when sitting, or soft mattresses.

There is a definite relationship between smoker's cough and severe back pain. Injecting the nicotine equivalent of one cigarette decidedly reduced the measured blood flow in the vertebral body. It is also thought that using tobacco interferes with the elasticity of connective tissue.

A small percentage of lower-back pain may be linked to flat feet.

Sometimes a serious case of constipation will cause an ache in the back, from impacted stools or pressure from gas.

(More rarely, back pain can result from congenital abnormalities, metabolic disorders, cancer, or referred syndromes.)

The back pain can also be the result of an excess of lactic acid in the muscles, following muscular exercise. Drinking enough water helps lessen this problem.

Where can you go to get help with your bad back? There are lots of experts out there:

Chiropractors adjust the back by pushing and thrusting. They also recommend nutritional and lifestyle changes. In 1994, the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research issued a report, that chiropractors generally provided the most effective treatments for acute back pain. They cost far less, do the job quicker, and do not give medicinal drugs (most of which are usually poisonous). The British Medical Journal reported that chiropractic treatments proved more successful than hospital treatments in nearly every way.

X rays are generally considered a routine part of back pain diagnosis; yet only a few back conditions show up on x rays! If the pain is caused by muscle strain or a herniated disk, an x ray will not reveal anything because muscles, disks, and ligaments are all soft tissues. Beware of x rays if you are pregnant.

Orthopedic surgeons are another source of help. These are medical doctors who also do back surgery, they are very likely to recommend it-and that is something you want to avoid, if at all possible.

Osteopaths can prescribe drugs and do surgery also, but they are less likely to do so.

Physiatrists, also called doctors of physical medicine, are also medical doctors. They have a good record of helping to solve serious back problems (such as disk problems) without resorting to surgery (which they are not licensed to do). They recommend lifestyle changes, back braces, etc.

Physical therapists try to restore muscle strength and joint and spine mobility.

Which back pains are the most serious?

Back pain that comes on suddenly, for no apparent reason.

Back pain that is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, stomach cramps, chest pain, or difficult breathing.

An acute attack of back pain that lasts more than 2-3 days, without any relief.

Chronic pain which lasts more than 2 weeks.

Pain in the back which radiates down the leg to the knee or foot.

Treatments

First, we will consider less serious back pain:

• The most common cause of backache is muscle strain. Rest will generally eliminate the problem. Bed rest for 24 hours may be needed.

• Soaking in a tub of warm water may be quite relaxing to a strained back.

• For the first 72 hours after a back strain occurs, an 8-minute ice massage often helps. Use ice cubes (or freeze water in a paper cup or frozen fruit- juice can). Massage the area and about 6-8 inches around it.

• After 72 hours, use alternate hot and cold applications. Apply a wrung-out hot towel for 30 seconds, followed by brief cold. Do this 4-5 times.

• Ice packs are especially helpful in relieving muscles spasms.

• Moist heat reduces local inflammation and increases blood flow to the area.

• Some people think that staying in bed for a week will help back pain. This is not true. If you remain in bed a week, it will take two weeks to rehabilitate.

• Stretching a sore back will tend to accelerate the healing process. Gently bring your knees up from the bed and to your chest. Once there, put a little pressure on your knees. Stretch, then relax. Do this again.

Preventive measures that will help you, either before or after experiencing back problems:

• Be very careful when lifting something. Take several deep breaths, to increase muscle strength and then slowly lift with the legs, not the back, and hold the object close to your body. Do not lift from a bending forward position (closing windows, lifting things from deep in the car trunk).

• Keep the body warm and do not become overly fatigued. When the muscles are chilled or you are exhausted, it is easier to injure joints because the muscles are not able to do the work needed.

• Do not take a hot bath just before doing heavy exercise, for your muscles will be in a weaker condition.

• Proper nutrition, including adequate amounts of calcium, minerals, vitamin D, etc. See "Bones, Strengthening" for much more on this.

Exercises, to build the muscles are very important, if you would avoid back trouble. More on this later in this article.

• Walking and rowing are good for the back (walking is good for just about everything!).

• When sleeping, either a firm mattress should be used or a ¾-inch thick ply board should be placed beneath the top mattress. Place 1-2 pillows under the knees to straighten the lumbar curve. When lying on the side, flex the knees and place a pillow between them.

• Avoid sleeping on the stomach; it increases the swayback and twists the neck. This is due to the fact that the trunk, being heavier, sinks farther into the bed, causing the back to arch.

• It is reported that water beds, which do not make a lot of waves, may help people with back trouble to sleep.

• When you get out of bed, roll out slowly and carefully. Do not sit straight up in bed.

• If you have back pain, slide to the edge of the bed. Then, keeping your back rigid, let your legs off the bed first. That will act as a springboard, lifting your upper body up and off the bed.

• Sit in a straight chair with a firm back. The knees should be higher than the hips; if necessary, use a small footstool. Avoid soft sofas and stuffed chairs. Chair arms help support the shoulders and upper back. Get up and move about every so often.

• When in a car, push the car seat forward, to raise the knees higher than the hips. This lessens back and shoulder strain. Use safety belts.

• Look for a car with adjustable lumbar support, and adjust the support down as low as it goes. Then, if necessary, raise it a notch or two.

• Do not stand in one position for long periods.

• High-heeled shoes will bring trouble sooner or later. Women should wear low-heeled shoes if they want to protect their pelvic organs and spine.

• Good posture when sitting, standing, or walking should be the goal.

Exercises to strengthen the back:

• Do press-ups which are half a push-up. Lie on the floor, on your stomach. Keep your pelvis flat on the floor and push up with your hands, arching your back as you lift your shoulders off the floor. This will help strengthen your lower back.

• Do floor swimming. Lay on your stomach on the floor. Raise your left arm and right leg. Hold for one second, then alternate with the right arm and left leg. Go back and forth. This extends and strengthens the lower back.

• Do a crunch sit-up. Lay on your back on the floor, with knees flexed and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms with your hands on your shoulders. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor as high as you can while keeping your lower back on the floor. Hold for one second, then repeat.

• Know your limit when exercising. If you feel fine 1-2 days after exercising, then it is safe to continue them.

• Spinal surgery: Should you have a back operation? Sometimes the problem is so serious that a back operation is necessary. But, if at all possible, try to avoid having one. Not only are they expensive, but frequently do not solve your movement and pain problems. It is an intriguing fact that, according to U.S. government reports, only 1% of those with back pain obtains relief from back surgery. And there is always the possibility that the operation will only result in greater pain, more serious damage, and even less mobility. But, after weighing all the possibilities, you may still decide to undergo it.

-Also see "Sciatica."

This page was last modified on 2 December 2010, at 17:51.

URL: http://naturalencyclopedia.com/Backache

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