Fed up with your back pain? You won’t anymore! Enlighten yourself with Dr. Chandra Shekhar’s illustrative and useful solutions to prevent back pain.
What is back pain?
Back pain is the one which occurs in your spinal region. It can originate from muscles, nerves, bones, and joints.
What are the types of back pain?
Back pain is classified according to its anatomical location. There are 4 main types as per this classification viz., neck pain, middle back pain, lower back pain, and tail bone pain. Duration is another categorization which classifies back pain into 3 different classes viz., acute back pain – less than 12 weeks, chronic back pain – more than 12 weeks, and subacute back pain – between 6-12 weeks. Non-specific back pain (cause is not defined) and specific back pain (cause is defined) are other types which are identified according to the cause.
What are the signs for back pain?
Most back pains are self-limiting and non-progressive which do not require immediate medical intervention. A back pain could get resolved within a period of 2-6 weeks. However, it could be a sign of a serious medical disorder. A typical warning associated with back pain due to a serious medical illness could be – disturbance in bladder and bowel movement. High grade fever and unexplained weight loss over a short period of time are other signs of back pain in this regard. Social factors like on the job stress and dysfunctional family relationships could also co-relate with back pain prone to a serious medical condition.
What are the potential causes of back pain?
Skeletal muscle pull or strain, skeletal muscle spasm, or muscle imbalance is studied as the chief cause of back pain. Synovial joints associated with bony structures could be listed as the second most common cause. The less common causes include degenerative disc disease, spinal disc herniation, osteoarthritis, lumbar spinal stenosis, trauma and fractures due to trauma, cancer,herniated vertebral disk and infection.
How to diagnose back pain?
Diagnosis could include the study of clinical symptoms and the history behind them. X-ray, CT scan, and MRI scan could be used in assistance with medical investigation.
What are the treatments for back pain?
Medical, non-medical, and surgical treatments are primarily used for treating back pain. Medications for back pain incorporate NSAIDs – painkillers with or without muscle relaxants. Non-medical treatments include heat radiation therapy and cold compression therapy. Postural therapy and exercises along with acupuncture could also help to treat back pain up to a great extent. Surgical treatments could intervene in cases of lumbar disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spinal stenosis, and scoliosis. The compression fracture resulting in back pain due to trauma or other causes could be treated through certain microscopic surgeries or microsurgeries such as discectomy which require operating a microscope.
Patients with chronic back pain lasting more than 3-4 months need a multidisciplinary approach incorporating physical, psychological, and educational counseling. Back pain during pregnancy could be eliminated by avoiding certain postures which include standing for a long time, forward bending, lifting weight, etc.