Living in today’s society, we are all surrounded by some back pain. Well, almost everybody. Some people witness this more often and some less. Have you ever wondered what the explanation for this pain is? And most importantly, how to deal with low back pain?
In the text below, we are going to explain thoroughly the possible causes of back pain, risk factors, how to seek help from the doctor near to you, and whether physical therapy is the best solution for you.
Basic Facts About Low Back Pain
Firstly, let’s see some basic facts about low back pain that you presumably did not know. These facts are the main to understand and to start looking for a solution.
- Did you recognize that low back pain affects nearly 6080% of individuals throughout their lifetime.
- Some estimates of lifetime prevalence are as high as 84% in the adult population.
- What is more interesting is that 13-14% of the world’s population experience pain in the back.
- The back pain can be much worse than a sore or even achy back. Sometimes it can expand to other parts of your body.
- Low back pain can be acute, sub-acute, or chronic. We will see that more closely in the text below.
- According to the World Health Organization, low back pain is NUMBER 1 cause for missed workdays worldwide.
- For some people, low back pain can return or hang on, leading to a decrease in quality of life or even disability.
- Surgery is unusually required to treat back pain.
At last but not at least is that physical therapy could be the best answer for patients who suffer from back pain.
Given these points, we can guarantee you that there are thousands of people out there who are having difficulties with back pain. With this in mind, it is necessary to see what are the
– common causes,
– risk factors
– symptoms, and the most importantly
– therapy and prevention for this pain.
Common Causes for back pain
Have you ever wondered why you feel this pain? What are the causes of back pain? Various things can certainly go wrong with your back. Additionally, you can injure yourself from overexertion or from doing nothing in any respect. So, let’s take a glance at the foremost common causes of this pain.
First of all, low back pain may end up from injury or activity. It can affect people of any age. But, it is sure that as people get mature, the risk of developing lower back pain increases.
Secondly, movement and position can achieve developed shoulder and back problems over time. That is highly linked with your sitting position when using a computer, mobile, tablet, etc. Moreover, overstretched muscle and strained it, or tore a tendon, resulting in back pain. Both can happen from turning or lifting something wrongly or picking up a massive object.
Thirdly, some medical conditions can lead to low back pain. In other words, cauda equina syndrome, cancer or infection of the spine, sleep disorders, or any other infections are causes that guide lower back pain.
Another common cause of lower back pain is during pregnancy. Yes! Your muscles and ligaments are stretching as the baby grows, and this can exhaust your back by putting extra stress on your back.
Usually, low back pain is classified into three different types: acute, sub-acute, and chronic back pain. Acute low back pain is an episode of low back pain for less than three weeks. Sub-acute low back or known as recurrent pain means that symptoms come back over and over again. The last – chronic low back pain lasts for ten weeks or more.
Risk factors
The following factors are associated with a higher risk of developing low back pain. We have already assumed that anyone can develop back pain, even children and teenagers. But, these factors might put you at higher risk of developing back pain:
· Occupational activities,
· obesity and excess weight,
· lower physical fitness, and genetic factors.
· stress and mood disorders are referred to as risk factors for back pain.
Generally, lower back pain tends to be more common in women than in men, eventually due to hormonal factors. Furthermore, back pain is more common as you grow up, starting around age 36 or 40.
There are also psychological conditions that are linked with low back pain. People predisposed to anxiety and depression appear to own a higher risk of back pain.
Above all, smoking cigarettes are a risk factor for this pain. Smokers have developed rates of low back pain. Consequently, smoking prompts more coughing, which may span to herniated disks. Also, it can decrease blood flow to the spine and increase the danger of osteoporosis.
Symptoms
As we said before, the low back pain may be much worse than a sore or even achy back.
Sometimes it can expand to other parts of your body. Usually, the pain often goes away without
treatment ( for one-two days). It is essential that when it occurs, patients must always see their
doctor near them. You should seek medical help if you have low back pain that does not
improve with rest or after an injury or fall.
Instead of staying at home while you have back pain
with fever or weakness, start trying to find a doctor near you to allow you therapeutic help.
A doctor will, regularly, be able to diagnose back pain after asking about symptoms and casting
off a physical examination.
Have you questioned yourself does it matter where lower back pain is detected? Well, it does
not really matter where. As we mentioned in the text above, lower back pain can be anywhere.
But, it is more common to have lower back pain on only one side of your body. Seeing that,
when it appears as your entire lower back hurts, the pain is perhaps coming from either the left
or right body side.
How to relieve lower back pain?
First of all, you need to schedule an appointment with your doctor near to you to get checked
out. You might think that if you rest, your pain will go away. That is quite the opposite.
Movement is the most fitted medicine. Indeed, inactivity can make the muscles tighten up,
producing more pain. With this in mind, stay active and stick to your normal routine as much as
the pain allows.
Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain
Not all back pain is similar. Chronic or severe lower back pain is both more complex issues. But, do not worry. Physical therapy can take a dominant part of most back pain patients. A physical therapist can point the problem and create an exercise plan that targets particular muscles to alleviate your pain. Your physical therapist will work with you while you are performing each lower back stretch and exercise rightly.
After all, when stretching and training will not be suitable, a physical therapist can use other treatments such as manipulation or mobilization to scale back your lower back pain symptoms and resolve the underlying cause. Without a doubt, you ought to not wait until your pain is extreme or chronic. Visit a physical therapist if your lower back pain lasts more than two few days so you can get back on your feet and back to work faster.
Unless there is a contraindication for physical therapy or a patient requires emergency surgery, most patients always take a trial of physical therapy before thinking of surgery.
To sum up, for many patients with low back pain, it is usually advisable to first consult a physician who can diagnose the patient’s condition and rule out any urgent contraindications for physical therapy, like a fracture or tumor. Many patients find it most proper to be monitored by a physical therapist to ensure follow-through and avoid problems. Once the initial phase of therapy is complete, those patients who continue to follow an exercise program are often the most successful in managing their low back pain.
A physical therapy program for back pain usually has two components:
· Passive physical therapy to help reduce the patient’s pain to a more manageable level
· Active exercises
Typical examples for passive physical therapy are ultrasound, tens units, heat/ice packs, or iontophoresis. These therapies are done to the patients and, that is why they are called passive. On the other hand, active exercises include stretching for back pain exercises and low impact aerobics.
How can a physical therapist help with your low back pain?
In order to escape expensive surgery or the side effects of medications, your physical therapist can help you improve or restore movement. The main goals of physical therapists are to decrease back pain, increase function and teach the patient a maintenance program to stop future back problems. Importantly, your physical therapist will make your everyday tasks and activities more comfortable.
By scheduling an appointment to see your nearest physical therapist, you will do the examination. When that is complete, your physical therapist will evaluate the results and identify the factors. After that, a physical therapist will design an individualized treatment plan for your low back problem. Treatments may include:
• Manual therapy, including spinal manipulation, to improve the mobility of joints and soft tissues
• Specific strengthening and flexibility exercises
• Education about how you can take better care of your back
• Training for proper lifting, bending, and sitting; for doing chores both at work and in the home; and for correct sleeping positions
• Assistance in creating a safe and effective physical activity program to improve your overall
health
• Use of ice or heat treatments or electrical stimulation to assist relieve pain
How to find the best physical therapist?
All in all, your physical therapist will instruct you to remain active and do the maximum amount of your usual activities possible. Sometimes bed rest for longer than a day can block your recovery.
With this in mind, it is foremost to choose the right physical therapist. While it may be true that all physical therapists are prepared through education and skill to treat people who have low back pain, here are some points you can take into consideration when choosing.
Here are some general tips:
Make sure your physical therapist has exceptional manual skills.
The best physical therapists use their hands to mobilize and improve function that can’t be attained by stretching or strengthening alone. That is often good information to own before you start your search. These hands-on experiences allow relieving areas of inflammation and low back pain. Keep in mind that soft and gentle hands are the best combination for low back pain.
Ask your physician or your friends.
Many doctors have relationships with specialists and might recommend a physical therapist. Often, your doctor may know which physical therapist would be best suited to assess and treat your specific condition. Also, ask your friends for his or her experience with therapists. You may be surprised how many people have gone to a physical therapist for low back pain.
Use a web search tool.
If your family and friends are unable to give you recommendations, try using an internet search tool to look for a back pain doctor near you. They’ll not be directly in your town, but they can usually help find the closest pain specialist. Many physical therapy clinics have websites that outline the services they offer, their hours and placement, and what to expect during your therapy session. These websites often have links to copies of the required paperwork to be completed before your visit so you’ll be able to have them ready on the day of your evaluation.
In summary, finding a back pain doctor near you will be one of the foremost important parts of handling low back pain. How did you discover your current back pain doctor? Allow us to know! ☺