Tag: back pain

Lower back pain is one of the leading causes of disability, which is supported by the statistics that in every 10 individual, eight may be showing signs of the condition.

Paradoxically, the extent of pain has nothing to do with the intensity of damage afflicted on the patient. Unlike with acute ailments and disease, chronic lower back pain is generally not associated with the height of damage accumulated. A large herniated disc may be relatively painless whereas muscle spasm due to back strain can be a reason for excruciating back pain.

The reasons for lower back pain may be extremely complex. In most cases, people suffering from it cannot exactly point out the location of concentrated pain or what they exactly feel. This is due to the reason that there are a number of underlying structures located at the lower back that may cause the pain. Listed below are several parts of the spiral anatomy that may be the reasons for pain:

• Irritation on the large nerve roots located at the low back that are connected to the arms and the legs.
• Irritation in the smaller nerves in the lower back spine.
• Strain at the erector spinae, also termed as the large lower back muscle.
• Injury/ies on the joints, ligaments and bones.
• Injury at the intervertebral disc.

There are cases however that the lower back pain is felt and suffered from yet there are no known anatomical cause or causes to relate the pain with. Though these types of lower back pain may not yet be fully recognized, immediate treatment must still be addressed. However, lower back pain may usually be associated with some general causes. An example of which is the muscle strain on the lower back or more specific diagnosable condition such as lumbar herniated disc or a degenerative disc disease.

Symptoms of lower back pain that are frequently related with surgical approaches:

• Bladder incontinence or sudden bowel movement
• Progressive weakening of the legs
• Continuous low back pain or abdominal pain
• Signs of fever and chills that are directly linked with lower back pain
• Cancer cases
• Extreme weight loss
• Recent case of trauma, especially when severe

Many people take lower back pain for granted, either by own choice or they are impeded by some irreversible reasons like insufficient and the likes. However, early diagnosis and treatment generally prevent people from experiencing more excruciating pains and higher treatment costs.

Though cases of cervical back neck pain is more infrequent as compared to lumbar pain, a large portion of western population still undergoes neck pains that often come with arm pain,like muscle strain and overtraining.

The majority of such cases may be healed in time without the need of medical interventions.

Yet there are a number of symptoms that may prove to be indications of more serious cases and need immediate medical help.

Acute Back Neck Pain

The most common causes of acute neck pain are muscle strain, neck strain and strain experienced by other softer tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Neck strain is due to stiff neck caused by wrong bed position and partly due to carrying too many loads. A sudden jolt and pressure on the other hand may cause muscle strain.

Majority of minor injuries on the soft tissues usually heals a couple of days after the pain. There is good blood supply in this section of the body, which allow the circulation of protein and essential nutrients that trigger fast healing. To alleviate the pain and symptoms of back neck pain, the sufferer may use conservative methods such as physical therapy, ice or heat, osteopathic manipulation and medications.

Chronic Back Neck Pain

This form of neck pain is very much the same in effects with acute back neck pain. However, they largely differ on the symptoms. Listed below are some of the symptoms of chronic back pain:

• Neck back pain that goes down to the arms
• Neck pain that may be linked to certain activities
• Arm pain due to lack of coordination
• Neck back pain that may be felt for much longer duration of time
• Neck pain that may go worse by the end of the day and in the morning

Other than these, there are a number of common symptoms that may be associated with cervical conditions. These may bring other cervical problems like wrist pain, shoulder pain, headaches and elbow pain.

One overlooked symptom is the progressive neurological degeneration, which may manifest as weakening of the arms or loss of sensitivity and coordination of the limbs. Another sign is the sustained pain that is accompanied with unplanned weight loss, fever, shakes and chills, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting that might be signs of spinal infection.

While the majority of back neck pain does not have identifiable anatomical roots, most are closely linked to general conditions such as muscle strain and herniated vertebral disc.

Always consult a professional care takers when in doubt.

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In order to understand our back better, we need to get through some medical term. Bare with me as we work our way to answer this question: What is the cervical vertebrae ?

As seen on the photo the cervical vertebrae are the first 7 bones that make the spine a whole. From top to bottom they are C1, C2, C3, C4,C5, C6 and C7. No surprises there.

The cervical vertebrae’s main functions are to carry the skull and give the head and neck mobility.

To be more specific:

• C1 and C2 control the head.
• C3 and C4 help control the diaphragm. Those are the  muscles that go to the bottom of the rib cage and play a part in breathing and respiration.
• C5 controls upper body muscles like the deltoids (which shape the shoulders with that sexy rounded contour) and the biceps, which allows the flex of the elbow and rotation of the forearm.
• C6 is in charge of the wrist extensors. Muscles like the extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, and extensor carpi ulnaris that control wrist extension and hyperextension.
• C7 controls the triceps. The large muscle on the back of the arm that allows for straightening of the elbow.

Mobility can be decrease due to  muscle strain, neck strain and strain experienced by other softer tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Neck strain is due to stiff neck caused by wrong bed position and partly due to carrying too many loads. A sudden jolt and pressure on the other hand may cause muscle strain.

A whiplash may harm the muscles group called Longus Colli. It’s the one protecting the cervical vertebrae.

Other neck pains are often described as tightness  of the Trapezius Muscles. This is the muscle connecting your neck, shoulders and back. It’s function is to lift with your arms, keep the neck balanced.

Source: Wikipedia

As I write this, it has been 3 months that my back pain started. It is a simple strained muscle. An muscle that is obviously very up set with me because after taking a rest from sports for one month all seemed fine. Until I started picking up my sports regime, within in 2 days the spasms in my back were well..back.

This made me realize  that although my little injury is a pain in the back, there are way more sincere injuries that can happen overnight or by simply lifting something.

On my journey into healing my own back I read and learned more and more about back problems. You need to know and understand I’m not a doctor nor do I have any medical background, yet I did not want to have my efforts into understanding back pain go only into my personal journal. I want to share what I learned here with you!

Back pain may strike anyone. It can affect younger people but is more prevalent during adulthood especially those aged between 45 and 59 years old.

The spine is comprised of small bones known as vertebrae. These are normally good structures, which are separated by discs that allow free mobility. Muscles and ligaments further support these vertebrae.

Close to one hundred percent of all complaints with regards to back pain is directly linked to improper coordination and workings of these components. The cause of back pain may be sudden rather than what is usually perceived as the result of overworking for a single period of time. However, during tests abnormal conditions on the back may not be identified using x-rays and typically, nothing in the back is mildly or severely damaged.

The majority of cases of back pain documented occur to people aged 55 and above and nearly all of them show signs of being with good health. So this means that the cause of back pain is not or may be minimally affected by the health of the sufferer. This pain is often felt in the lower section of the spine and cases of upper and middle back pain is rare. Additionally, some people may also experience coexisting pains such those felt at the thighs and the legs. These are separated cases that may be triggered by several sets of complex sets symptoms.

7 Causes of Back Pain:

1. poor posture
2. lack of exercise
3. long periods of bending and standing
4. sitting on a chair that lacks supports for the back, especially for the lumbar area
5. sleeping on a mattress that lacks support for the back
6. lifting, pushing or pulling loads, carrying objects that are typically heavy or doing tasks the wrong way
7. a trip or fall

There are other causes that may be associated with back pain but cases like these appear on minimal basis. Around 5% of all sufferers experience back pain due to nerve root problems. The compression of the nerve root, which is triggered by the bulging, or displacement of the vertebral disc normally brings about the pain. This irregularity of the vertebral disc is called a slipped disc.

It must be noted that the back bone structure is especially adopted to carrying loads and carrying the whole body weight if need be. But there are certain conditions that may affect its performance. These generally cause back pain and the intensity of the pain produced depends on the rigidity of the activity.