Being up and active is both cool and rewarding, you can report to work every day, perform your everyday activities, and also have some fun, but this freedom may be taken away from you if you suffer from any of the symptoms associated with Back pain. You may be wondering what Back pain is.
What is Back pain?
Back pain is inflammation to either the spinal cord, spine ligaments, the lumbar vertebrae, nerves, lower back muscle, internal organs (abdominal and pelvic region), or the skin around the back region.
It is usually caused by performing strenuous activities, injuries, or medical conditions such as aorta disorder, chest tumors, and inflammation of the spine. It can affect any age group, both old and young, but the risk of developing back pain is lower in kids than it is in adults, the more you age, the higher the risk of developing back pain, this is because older people are likely to suffer from degenerative disc disease and also, complications may arise from previous work activities.
Let’s consider the causes of Back pain.
What are the causes of Back pain?
Back pain may occur in both the old and young for several reasons, I shall discuss some common causes of Back pain below:
Strain: when performing activities, such as heavy weight lifting or lifting weight improperly, complications may arise from muscle spasm, damaged disk, a fracture or injury, a strain to the ligament or muscle, which may result to Back pain.
Posture: Bad Movement and sitting posture can cause Back inflammation to a great extent, especially if you are an avid computer user, your sitting position may cause you Back pain.
Also, performing movements and activities such as twisting, extending the neck forward, driving for a great length of time, pushing, pulling, and stretching may result in Back inflammation.
Problems relating to Structure: There are some structural problems that may lead to Back discomfort, they include:
- Bulging disks: a bulging disk may exert more pressure on the nerve, which may cause a back discomfort
- Osteoarthritis: Arthritis may cause pain in the hip joints or spaces in between the spine (known as spinal stenosis)
- Ruptured Disks: Similar to bulging disks, the disk provides a cushioning effect to the vertebrae, if a rupture occurs, it may result in an increase in nerve pressure, causing Back pain.
- Kidney infection: if you are suffering from a kidney infection, you may experience back pain
- Sciatica: This is caused by a bulging herniated disk pressing on the nerve, it causes a sharp pain to travel down the back of the leg, through the buttock.
- Osteoporosis: this is a condition, whereby the bone becomes weak and brittle, with time, the body absorbs and replaces bone tissues.
Cancer: a tumor in the spine, also known as cancer of the spine may cause back pain
Infection: infections such as kidney disease, and pelvic inflammation may cause pain to the back.
Sleep disorder: if you have a sleep disorder, it may cause back pain.
It is difficult to understand the causes of some back pain, so it is advisable to always consult a professional doctor.
Types of Back pain
The pain experienced from back inflammation can either be acute or chronic, in the case of acute back pain, the pain comes and goes in a few days or weeks, while in the case of chronic Back pain, the pain returns intermittently, below are the types of back pain:
Thoracic Back pain
This is pain that occurs in the thoracic or chest region, it is usually caused by a serious underlying health condition such as fever/chills, any form of deformation, pain in the nerve, stiffness, weight loss, etc.
Therefore, you should be on the lookout for such a condition and if symptoms persist, you should endeavor to consult your doctor, as damage to the thorax may cause a more serious condition.
Middle Back pain
These are pains experienced anywhere below the thoracic region, and above the lumber region, this type of back pain can be difficult to diagnose as the symptoms can be vague, and it is caused by several factors, including the following:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Idleness
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Smoking
And lots more, if there are accompanying symptoms such as fever, dizziness, or weight loss, it may be a sign of a serious underlying condition and it is advisable to consult a professional doctor.
Fun fact: lower back pain tends to be more common in women than in men, due to factors such as hormones and sometimes stress and anxiety.
Symptoms
Back pain is usually characterized by pain in the back region, but it can also affect other regions of the body.
It usually goes on its own after some time but when symptoms persist, it is advisable to go see a doctor, below are some symptoms of back pain:
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Inflammation (on the back region)
- Swelling (on the back region)
- Persistent pain
- Difficulty in urinating
- Pain down the leg
- Pain below the knee
- Inconsistent urination
- Genital, and anal numbness
- Inconsistent bowel movement
And lots more.
You should go see a doctor if:
- After resting, the pain does not improve
- If you experience numbness in the leg
- If you experience pain with fever
- If you experience pain with weakness
- If you experience pain with weight loss.
Next, let’s consider the best treatments for back pain.
Best and potent treatment for Back pain
The best-recommended treatments for back pain depend on its causes and location, but some non-evasive techniques can be performed at home to mitigate the effect of the back discomfort, these include physical massage and therapy.
For conditions that require more than massage and therapy, a discectomy can be performed, this involves removing parts or all of an injured spinal disk. A vertebrae fusion is also another option, it involves physically joining two adjacent vertebrae, or replacing the disk with a string spacer, this results in the creation of a strong structure. You will need a doctor to perform a discectomy or vertebrae fusion.
Additionally, following a structured and regular exercise can also help prevent and treat Back inflammation, some recommended exercises include:
- Bridge exercise
- Knee-to-chest stretch
- Shoulder blade squeeze
Etc
Experiencing pains in your back can be a very disconcerting situation, but it is a common condition, it is advisable to treat it immediately any of the symptoms are noticed, this is to prevent a serious complication.
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