How well do you know about Back Pain

Dr.Bharat Bahre, 3 mins read

How well do you know about Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for patients visiting our orthopaedic hospital in Dwarka, while some call in to request a physiotherapist for home visits in Dwarka. We understand backaches can be debilitating and we have begun offering home physiotherapy in Dwarka along with walk-in appointments. If you suffer from constant backaches, this article could be helpful.

Most lower backaches are due to of injury, like muscle sprains or strains due to sudden jerked movement or poor body form while lifting objects, sleeping in a poor position can also wake you up with a backache.

There are diseases like cancer of the spinal cord, ruptured or herniated disc, sciatica, arthritis, kidney infections, or even a spine infection that cause backaches.

Sharp backaches can last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks, while chronic backaches are those that remain longer than three months.

Lower backaches are usually an issue for people more than 30 years of age. This can be attributed to changes that occur in the body with aging. As we grow older, there’s a decrease in the amount of fluid content between the vertebrae in the spine; which means the discs in the spine experience irritation more easily. The body loses muscle tone, which makes the back more prone to injury; that is why conditioning your back muscles and having good posture help a long way in preventing lower backaches.

Causes

Strain

The muscles and ligaments in the backstretch or tear from strenuous activity and pain and stiffness in the lower back and muscle spasms are common symptoms. Some rest and physical therapy are easy remedies.

Disc injuries

The discs in our backs are prone to injury, and the outer part of the disc can tear, this is called a “herniated disc”, or a slipped or ruptured disc. This will occur when the cartilage surrounding the disc pushes itself against the spinal cord or the roots of nerves. Disc injuries mostly occur suddenly right after lifting something or twisting our backs. Unlike a regular back strain, pain from disc injuries usually lasts for more than three days.

Sciatica

Sciatica happens if a herniated disc presses on a nerve last which forms the sciatic nerve; which connects the spine to the legs. Sciatica can cause a sharp burning pain in the legs and feet.

Spinal stenosis

This happens when the spinal column narrows, and exerts pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Spinal stenosis occurs due to degeneration of the discs that lie between the vertebrae. Symptoms are numbness, cramping, and weakness. Quite a few people with spinal stenosis notice their symptoms get worse when they stand or walk.

Abnormal spine curvatures

Scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis are conditions that cause abnormal curvatures in the spine. The abnormal curvature causes pain and poor posture as it places pressure on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and vertebrae.

Other conditions

Arthritis, fibromyalgia, spondylitis, and other health conditions like kidney and bladder problems, pregnancy, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and cancer also cause lower backaches.

Treatment

Home care

Self-care at home can prove helpful for the first 72 hours after the pain starts but in case it doesn’t get better after 72 hours, you should visit a doctor.

Stopping physical activity, icing, and heat to relax muscles: the RICE method- rest, ice, compression, and elevation — is recommended for the first 48 hours.

Some over-the-counter pain medication can also be taken to relieve pain.

Medical treatment

The possible medical treatments include medications, medical therapy devices, and physical therapy. For severe cases, the medications doctor prescribes include muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, narcotic drugs like codeine for pain relief, and steroids to reduce inflammation. You could also be prescribed physical therapy like getting a massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises.

Surgery

For very severe cases, surgery may be necessary. Surgery is usually only an option when all other treatments fail. However, if there’s a loss of bowel or bladder control or a progressive neurological loss, surgery becomes an emergency option.

How you can prevent lower backaches

Several ways to prevent lower backaches. Practicing prevention techniques also lessen the severity of the symptoms in case you have a lower back injury. 

Preventive choices include:

• Regularly exercising the muscles in the abdomen and back
• Losing weight if you are overweight or obese
• Lifting items properly in the right form; by bending at the knees and lifting with the legs 
• Maintaining proper posture
• Yoga

You might want to try to

• Sleep on a firm mattress
• Sit on chairs that are at the correct height for you
• Avoid high-heeled shoes 
• Give up smoking, as nicotine causes degeneration of spinal discs and also reduces blood flow.

Talk to us about your lower back pain. Call us and set up an appointment with Delhi’s best orthopaedic doctors, right here at Aakash Healthcare.

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