What Causes Back Pain

If you have ever gotten out of the bed and groaned first thing in the morning, "Ouch, my back is hurting me!", then you are not alone.

Backache or back pain is one of the most common medical problems, and believe it or not, it affects up to 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives especially as they get older with age catching up.

For the "more fortunate" sufferers, their aching symptoms usually go away on its own after a while. But for some, back pain can be the cause of much anguish and suffering and can get so bad until the quality of life of the patient is destroyed, sometimes forever.

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The symptoms can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. Acute back pain comes on suddenly and usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks. If the pain persists more that 12 weeks, it is then categorized as chronic back pain. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers and resting your spine may help alleviate the suffering. However, staying in bed for more than 1 or 2 days can make it even worse. If your back pain is severe or does not get better after, say, three days or so, then it is about time you pay your doctor a visit. As a matter of fact, you should get immediate medical attention if your back pain is a result of an injury.

Understanding the cause of your back pain is the key to proper treatment, pain relieve and for the lucky ones, even a cure. Because back pain is difficult to treat, a better understanding of the causes of your situation will assist you in your road to recovery or at least, to improve on your aching back condition.

Types of back pain

Ruptured Disc - A rupture in the inter-vertebral disc, also called a herniated disc is common cause of back pain. Treatments for herniated discs vary and are largely dependant upon the patient’s situation and condition.

Discogenic Back Pain – This back condition is thought to be a common cause of low back pain. Discogenic back pain arises from the damage to the inter-vertebral disc, but with no disc herniation.

Lumbar Muscle Strain - Muscle strains are the most common cause of back pain. The good news is that back pain caused by muscle strain is easy to cure.

Spinal Stenosis - Spinal stenosis back pain is caused by the aging process. The older you are, the more likely you will be suffering from stenosis. This is because we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions such as bone degeneration. If the spinal canal becomes too tight, back pain can be the result and this pain may accompany the unfortunate patient for life.

 

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Self Healing Hypnosis

Lumbar Spine Arthritis - Arthritis is another age related disease although it sometimes affects the young as well. This disease most commonly affects the joints such as the knees, fingers or toes. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of your backbone.   Spondylolisthesis – Often referred to as spondy or spondylosis, this condition causes back pain because adjacent vertebra becomes unstable and begin to "slip." The most common cause of spondylolisthesis is due to degenerative changes causing loss of the normal stabilizing structures of the spinal column. Again, this is an age related chronic problem and is usually irreversible unless intervened with surgery.

Scoliosis - Scoliosis occurs when there are abnormal side-to-side (lateral) curves in the spinal column and generally affects 2% or women and 0.5% of men. There are many causes of scoliosis, including congenital spine deformities, genetic conditions, neuromuscular problems and limb length inequality. Other causes for scoliosis include cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy and tumors.

Sciatica - Sciatica is a pain resulting from irritation of the sciatic nerve. This type of pain is typically felt from the lower back to behind the thigh and radiating all the way down below the knee. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the lower back and extends through the buttock area to send nerve endings down the lower limb.

Although sciatica condition is most commonly a result of a disc herniation directly pressing on the nerve, any cause of irritation or inflammation of this nerve can reproduce similar symptoms. These causes include irritation of the nerve from adjacent bone, tumors, muscle, internal bleeding, infections, injury, and other causes.

Unfortunately for back pain sufferers, effective treatment or even cure for chronic sufferers can be rather elusive. However, some patients may find relief from ice or heat treatments and painkillers. Depending on the symptoms and the length of the problem, your doctor can properly organize a treatment plan.

The followings are a few warning signs that may indicate a problem that needs immediate medical attention:-

• Your back pain lasts more than  3 days
• Your back pain is so severe that you have difficulty falling asleep or are being woken up from your slumber
• Your have difficulty controlling your bowels or bladder
• You breakout into a fever, chills, cold sweats along with your hurting back
  
  

One very effective way of treating and even curing back pain is the Muscle Balance Therapy developed by the Healthy Back Institute.


Wishing you a speedy recovery journey to relief, heal and cure your back pain..