Causes of Back Pain
Back Pain Treatment Options
What is the root cause of back pains? The most usual cause for back pain is strained muscles. This is true for lower back pain as well as for upper back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Sometimes, a muscle gets hyper-extended or has the blood flow temporarily disrupted. Pain is the inevitable result. However, muscle strain is not the only thing that can cause back pain.
Injury can most certainly cause back pain and the fact is that the injury doesn't even have to be direct to your back. If your leg is hurt, you will favor it as you walk, which means that you aren't walking straight. When you don't walk straight, your spine is out of alignment, and pain will most assuredly follow.
Injuries can cover a very broad range of events. A sudden jolt can cause back injury and back pain. A hard blow or a fall can do the same. Falls are often the cause of back pain in older adults. Injuries that occur when people are engaging in sports, especially amateur sports, are often the cause of back injury and back pain. Any kind of unexpected twisting motion can bring on back pain as well.
There are many diseases that manifest themselves in the form of back pain. Kidney disease is probably the one that is most recognized, but it is most certainly not the only one. Heart disease can very often cause lower back pain, and so can gall bladder disease. The body will actually take care of a simple muscle strain without any help and there are many over-the-counter products available to help with the pain until it does subside.
If you know that your back pain has been caused by a simple muscle strain, you don't need to worry about it. If, on the other hand, you cannot attribute your back pain to a simple and minor injury or muscle strain, then you should see your doctor.
Back Pain Treatment Options
Most back pain is the result of a muscle strain or sprain and will take care of itself with two weeks. You can simply take over-the-counter analgesics and apply over-the-counter analgesic topical ointments to relieve the pain and discomfort.
For back pain that lasts more than two weeks and is not caused by a simple muscle strain or sprain, there are many options out there to help deal with pain. Medical doctors can prescribe pain killers and muscle relaxants that will help deal with the pain. It is important to know that both of these kinds of drugs are addictive, so please read the labels and warnings, as many side-effects are possible.
After taking x-rays, a chiropractor can perform a spinal adjustment that will relieve the pain almost immediately. Most often, more than one adjustment is necessary for the spine to stay in alignment and for the pain to be permanently gone. Acupuncture is another treatment option for the relief of back pain. An acupuncturist places needles in specific locations on the body in order to restore the balance of Qi. When Qi, Yin, and Yang are in balance, pain is not possible.
Acupressure is also an option for treatment to relieve back pain. The acupressurist doesn't use needles like an acupuncturist. They only use their fingers and thumbs to put pressure on specific points on the body. But the objective is the same as that of an acupuncturist; to restore the balance of Qi and thus the balance of Yin and Yang.
Physical therapists can help to relieve back pain and restore strength to back muscles by instructing patients to engage in active exercise as well as passive exercise. Therapists use only their hands to massage the back muscles that are causing back pain.
Surgery to Relieve Back Pain
Surgery performed on the spine should never be undertaken lightly, no matter how much back pain is involved. The surgery may or may not relieve the pain, so you need to weigh all of your options before you opt for back surgery.
There are instances when surgery on the backbone or the spine is the only option available. Serious accidents or injuries to the spine will often require surgery. Surgery to relieve back pain; however, is a very rare occurrence. Less than 1% of those who suffer from back pain will be advised by their doctors to have back surgery.
As scientists and researchers learn more and more about the human body and how it functions, back surgery to relieve pain is being recommended far fewer times. It has been discovered that many people who have herniated discs or disc bulges have no pain at all and it has been called into question whether a herniated disc is the actual cause of any back pain.
Even very reputable surgeons now report that they are doing far fewer back surgeries for the purpose of relieving pain today than they were doing only a few years ago. The reason may be that surgery to relieve back pain just simply doesn't work very often.
There are those who swear that their back surgery relieved their pain and the fact that they can no longer engage in many activity is a small price to pay for being able to live without pain. There are many others who find that after surgery that was supposed to relieve their pain; they still have pain that has simply taken a different shape and now they are unable to engage in activities that they once enjoyed.
Will surgery relieve back pain? The answer is a very
qualified "maybe."
