Back Pain is everyone’s disease

Back pain affects eight out of every ten Americans at some point in their lives. There are different forms of back pain attributed to different causes. Back pain is a chronic medical issue in our society. Many of its causes relate to lifestyles and habits of the average person. People who work in offices are just as likely to suffer from back pain as those who do hard, physical labor every day. Back pain affects the young as well as the old and doesn’t discriminate based on any type of individual.

Basic description of back pain

Back muscles themselves get strained and can cause pain, but most of the pain comes when those strained muscles give out as a result of their injury and the back loses support. The loss of back support causes compression of the discs between the vertebrae bones and pinched nerves. A lengthwise overextension of the back or excessive twist in the spine is usually the cause of the pain. It can also be caused by arthritis that degrades the joints between spinal bones.

Types of back pain

Lower back pain

Lower back pain is the most common in America. It is usually caused by people lifting objects in an improper manner. Usually, the person fails to bend the knees and uses the back muscles instead of using the legs to lift. Even lifting only a few pounds can cause back injury if lifting is done incorrectly.

Upper and middle back pain

Pain in the upper back is an increasingly-common ailment due to the ever-growing use of electronic devices. The issue starts with the typical desk-top computer that office workers hunch over when viewing the screen as they are forces to sit incorrectly to move a mouse. Lap top computers can be an even bigger cause as people hunch over to type and read. This causes severe over-extension in the cervical spine-the upper back. As the spine overextends its backside and compresses in front. The spinal discs get compressed and nerves get pinched. Severe over extensions are also the typical causes of middle back pain.

Symptoms

Symptoms of back pain will include burning, swelling and tightness in the affected area where shooting pain is felt. Back pains typically “nag” the patient all the time and movement of the area will cause sharp, severe pain. The more those nerves are affected, the more the patient will experience simultaneous, temporary immobility with each shooting pain.

Diet’s effect on back pain

Diet effects back pain in to key ways. Excessive eating is the first as it leads to obesity, while the wrong foods contribute not only to obesity but also to the degeneration of the spinal discs, inflammation of the vertebrae joints and surrounding muscles that can push the spine out of alignment.  Natural diets that are free of processed carbohydrates, low in fats and animal products can help reduce risk of back pain.

Treatment

Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic treatments are very effective in realigning the spine and the ribs cage to help stop the pain. So are different types of electro-stimulation and massage. But the most effective way to remedy back pain is to exercise and learn proper habits of movement.

Surgery

Back surgery is common in the western world. If a spinal disc is too damaged, it may need to be replaced with an artificial disc. Rods maybe inserted to supply additional support and in some cases, especially when the issue is arthritis, surgeons may fuse to vertebrae together to end issues caused by movement between them.

Pain medicine

Cortisone and other steroids are sometimes used to reduce back pain but this approach will do nothing to remedy the cause. Cortisone treatment is usually a temporary fix that reduces the patient’s discomfort before surgery or other remedies can be implemented.

Remedies for back pain

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is almost always necessary to stop back pain from returning. Therapy includes exercises to strengthen supporting muscles and teaches the patient a new manner of movements to prevent re-injuring the back.

Yoga

Yoga is used increasingly to elongate muscles that pull on the pelvis and which can move the spine out of alignment, especially when the muscles are too short. Different Yoga poses also strengthen the muscles that support the back and spine. Yoga has been especially effective in helping back patients because it focuses on all th