The Possible Causes of Chronic Back Pain
October 9th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
You have had back pain from time to time before, but now the back pain has become a daily thing. You have a busy schedule, and as such you really do not want to have to stop doing things just because of your chronic back pain. Thus, you need some information as to how you can find remedies for that annoying chronic back pain.
About Chronic Back Pain
The first thing that you need to consider when it comes to why you might be experiencing chronic back pain is your age. If you are younger, does your job require you lifting many heavy things? If so, you could be straining your back muscles to the point of a hernia, so you should try to take it more easy.
If you are middle-aged or older, you might have chronic back pain because of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, if not treated soon, will cause you to hunch over because the vertebrae compress. The cause has to do with the bones not getting enough calcium. If you think your chronic back pain is caused by osteoporosis, make an appointment with your doctor so that you can get I checked.
If you are used to exercising, but lately have not had time to, that might be another reason why you have been experiencing chronic back pain. The reason has to do with your muscles being used to a certain level of activity, and without that activity they are now becoming less flexible.
Some people actually turn to various forms of exercise to alleviate their chronic back pain. For example, if you want to improve your flexibility, consider taking a yoga class. Thus, you can stretch your muscles and alleviate back pain at the same time.
Other people get chronic back pain from sitting too long at their desks while at work. If possible, try to get up and walk around for a few minutes to loosen up your muscles. Also, try parking your car a bit farther away so you can get some exercise that way.
For more information on ways that you can alleviate chronic back pain, be sure to consult your doctor. You can also search the internet, since there are a variety of different, reliable medical websites that can help you find safe treatments. Some of these websites have reviews too on things like back massager chairs that you could try. You are sure to find the right treatments with the proper research.
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Severe Lower Back Pain An Expensive Patient Complaint
August 8th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
There are very few things more debilitating than severe lower back pain, whether chronic or temporary, since it will cause great discomfort regardless of how the person moves. Severe lower back pain is the fifth most common reason people visit the doctor and it costs an estimated $20 billion a year in direct medical costs. This could more than double when indirect costs are added.
Only about 10 percent of patients complaining of severe lower back pain have medical causes that may require additional treatment for such things as osteoporosis or disk alignment. The usual prescription of muscle relaxers is typically accompanied by a few days of bed rest and the patient usually returns to full mobility in three to four weeks. For patients still having trouble moving in four to six weeks, a return assessment and additional investigation of severe lower back pain may be needed.
Different diseases and conditions are historically associated with the age of the patient, however there are possible exceptions to all circumstances. Sometimes the cause of severe lower back pain is obvious, such as spending time with hard physical labor or lifting heavy objects, the cause can be fairly accurately determined.
Different Ages Bring On Different Conditions
For person aged 20 to 40, severe lower back pain may be the result of a muscle strain with the pain aggravated by movement. There may also be localized tenderness associated with the pain and a spasm of the lower back muscles may severely prevent motion of any kind. Typically, bed rest and a limit to movement will end the pain, however there is always the chance of recurrence if not allowed to properly heal.
A sharp shooting pain in the lower back in persons between 30 and 50 may be a sign of acute disk herniation that causes more severe lower back pain when standing with a sharp, burning pain radiating into the leg. This may also be accompanied by weakness in the reflex actions. Those aged 50 and over may suffer from osteoarthritis, causing severe lower back pain radiating into one or both legs. Pain usually increases when walking and is less evident when seated.
Infections in the spine or in the nerve sac located at the base of the spine may also be responsible for severe lower back pain, and a visit to the doctor will be necessary to get to the underlying cause of the problem.
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