Many factors can contribute to lower back pain. Perhaps you went too far. Maybe you spend most of your day sitting. Or perhaps you suffer from an illness that affects your back.
If your back pain has lasted for more than a month, has worsened over time, or if you are experiencing new neurologic symptoms like numbness or weakness in any region of your body, you should go for lower back pain treatment.
But what exactly is back pain?
Most individuals have experienced back pain. It is one of the most common medical conditions that cause people to visit the doctor or miss work or school. It can affect various back sections, whether mild or severe, and linger for a few days or years.
Many different structures make up your back, and they all work together to support your body. You are included in this:
• Vertebrae
• Spinal cord
• Intervertebral discs
• Ligaments
• Muscles
• Tendons
Back pain can result from issues with any of these structures, including traumas, inflammatory diseases like ankylosing spondylitis, infections, tumours, and cancer.
The type and origins of your pain will determine the best course of lower back pain treatment.
Back Pain Signs and Symptoms
Back pain can appear as muscle pains, stiffness in the morning, pain that gets worse with movement, and shooting, burning, or stabbing sensations.
The pain you feel may:
• Radiate outward from the back into the hips, abdomen, legs, buttocks, or legs.
• Intensify while bending, lifting, or twisting
• Bring and take
• Affect just one area of your back or the entire back
Lower Back Pain Causes and Risk Factors
Numerous mechanical or structural issues with the back can cause back pain, including:
• Muscle or ligament sprains and strains
• Ruptured or herniated discs
• Ageing-related degenerative disc disease
• When a vertebra slips out of place, it's known as spondylolisthesis.
• Vertebral stenosis
• Sciatica
• Broken vertebrae
• Injury or Trauma
• Right up arrow indicates nerve root compression.
Risk factors that could increase your risk of experiencing back pain include:
• Age
• Improper exercise
• Bad posture
• Being obese or overweight
• Cancer
• Smoking
• Psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression
• Incorrect lifting
• Heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or twisting jobs, as well as sedentary desk jobs
• Right-up arrow genetics
Diagnosis and Treatment of Lower Back Pain
Your doctor will perform a physical examination and analyse your personal and family medical history to diagnose the illness. Your doctor will ask you to move your body in specific ways to understand your pain's nature better. Whether you have irregular reflexes, weakness, or numbness.
Even though most patients don't require any more testing, your physician may order tests to exclude or confirm a cause for your back pain. Your doctor might conduct the following imaging and blood tests:
• X-Ray
This imaging procedure can detect fractures or broken bones and age-related changes. It also detects the bones and transitions in your spine's alignment.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Your body is detailed in a series of cross-sectional images made by strong magnets and radio waves. The discs, ligaments, and nerve roots in your back, as well as other soft tissues and diseases, can be diagnosed with the aid of these scans.
• Bone Scans
This imaging test searches for spine cancers, fractures, and infections using trace amounts of radioactive material.
• Blood Tests
Doctors can pinpoint certain inflammatory or medical conditions that are the cause of back pain through the use of blood markers.
• Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)
This test generates three-dimensional views of the back through the use of X-ray images acquired from various angles. The scans assist in identifying abnormalities in the spine and its supporting structures.
Tips To Prevent Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Although not all back pain can be avoided, you can lessen your risk of getting it by frequently exercising, maintaining good posture, and changing other aspects of your lifestyle. Here are a few tips:
• Keep your shoulders above your hips and your ears directly above your shoulders. Don't slouch.
• When standing, distribute your weight evenly across your feet.
• Use seats that support your lower back while you are sitting (change their height so that your feet are flat on the floor), take objects out of your back pockets, and get up to take a walk at least once every 30 minutes.
• Maintain a healthy weight and consume adequate calcium and vitamin D in your diet.
• Put on some comfortable shoes.
• Avoid attempting to lift anything that is excessively heavy; lift with your legs and hips rather than your back, and hold the object close to your body.
• Make tedious tasks more interesting by using various body movements to accomplish the same job.
• Give up smoking.
• Use furnishings and equipment that are ergonomically designed.
Conclusion
Taking care of your back pain is crucial before it worsens. So make sure to avail yourself of the best treatment to treat your lower back pain. If you need professional help, The Sports Massage Clinic is one of the best clinics that offers back pain treatment. So get in touch today to schedule an appointment!