Back Pain Management - Here Are Some Common Back Problems

By Author: George Faulkner
Total Articles: 4762
Comment this article

Many people who have trouble with back pain management experience brief episodes of pain from which they make full recovery, no firm diagnosis is made and so their back pain is called non-specific, detailed investigation are not necessary and often it is not possible to identify the particular underlying cause, sometimes the person has tender areas over the spine or between the sacrum and the iliac bone of the pelvis, the pain may be caused by strain of ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues.

Although the cause is usually uncertain, terms that implies that your doctor has actually a diagnosis such as lumbosacral strain and sacroiliac strain are often used, the term non specific back pain is preferable because it does not suggest that we know the cause of your particular problems, further investigation to pinpoint the cause is necessary only if the back pain fails to settle.

Back pain management in slipped or burst discs: most people have heard of a slipped disc but it is a rather inaccurate name because discs actually cannot slip, they can wear, split or burst. What happens is that, after some stress on the spine ...
... often involving bending, twisting or lifting the disc bursts or prolepses and the jelly like central nucleus is squeezed out through a spit in the outer annulus.
We now believe that most discs that prolapsed in this way previously had some wear and tear changes and the stress on the spine triggered the problem, in other words, the disc was already abnormal and would have burst sooner or later anyway. The particular stress properly just acted as a final straw. the jelly like material, having been squeezed out, presses on the nerve running next to the disc, causing severe pain in the back that spreads down the leg and sometimes as far as the foot, you may feel numbness and tingling, particularly in your lower leg and foot, some of your muscles may become weak and the ankle jerk reflex, tested by tapping your Achilles tendon with a tendon hammer, may be lost. the site of these changes helps the doctor to identify exactly which nerve has be damaged.
The pain caused by a burst disc can be very severe, usually the symptoms will slowly get better and eventually disappear completely, however once the disc is burst, it is permanently weak and there is always the risk of a further bout of back pain.

Back pain management with sciatica: as the greater weight and bending forces are experienced in the lower part of the lumbar spine, the nerves most often damaged are the fifth lumbar nerve root (which leaves the spine between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae) and the first sacral root (which leaves the spine between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the first part of the sacrum) these two nerves join together to form the sciatic nerve which runs down the back of the leg to the foot. Pain arising because of damage to this nerve is known as sciatica.

Back pain management wear and tear spondylosis: spondylosis or wear and tear of the spine is very common. Indeed these changes start at about the age of 25 and are present in almost all of us by the time we are middle aged. This is one of the main reasons why athletes are at the peak of their performance in their early twenties.

The lower back bears the weight of your whole body as well as anything that you are carrying, and does most of the bending and twisting. This is why wear and tear changes of the spine are most common in the lumbar region, and are called lumbar spondylosis. Lumbar spondylosis is most likely to occur at the lower levels, particularly between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the fifth lumbar vertebra and the first segment of the sacrum and leads to sciatica, it affects both the discs and the facet joints.

Some material is lost from the disc and from the cartilage or gristle lining the facet joints, the bone at the margins of the discs and facet joints enlarges, making movement more limited and so stiffening the spine, it may press on nerves, ligaments and other structures, causing pain .

However, this is not as depressing as it sounds; the fact that you have these wear and tear changes does not mean that you are bound to get backache. Many people have quite severe wear and tear changes with few or no problems, whereas others with relatively minor changes suffer incapacitating bouts of pain, wear and tear changes of this sort are generally of only minor significance.

Back pain management in lumbago: one of the most common back problems is recurrent spells of acute pain which may spread to the buttocks or one of the thighs, while the attack lasts, your back may feel stiff and tender as well, when the symptoms are very severe the condition is called lumbago, the pain can last a day or two or two or up to a couple of weeks each time. Sometimes it then disappears completely or it may persist or recur, the symptoms are made worse by poor posture and heavy lifting.
X-Rays frequently show the presences of lumbar spondylosis, but surveys have revealed that these changes are often found in people who don’t have any symptoms, it is therefore difficult to assess the part they have played in causing pain, as a result of this the term non specific back pain is often used to describe lumbago.

Back pain management in nerve problems: nerve easily get squashed within the vertebral canal and as they emerge from the sides of the vertebral column by damaged discs, facet joints or vertebrae. When a nerve is squashed its ability to pass messages is affected. When this happens, you may experience pain or sensation of numbness or tingling in the area supplied by the nerve, and the muscles it controls in your leg or foot may become weak. The spinal cord transmits these sensations to the brain it is a bit like interference on a telephone wire, producing unpleasant noises and poor quality sound, in fact current research indicates that it is a lot more complicated than that, changes within the spinal cod itself can affect the pain messages. This may explain why some people continue to experience widespread and prolonged symptoms when the original nerve damage has healed and there is little evidence of much wrong with the back.

Back pain management with coccydynia: this is the name given to pain at the tail end of the spine or the coccyx, usually no cause is found. A soft cushion ring may be used to make sitting more comfortable, but the condition usually settles by itself with time.

Back pain management in neck problems: the neck shares the same basic structure as the rest of the spine, and is therefore also prone to disc problems and wear-and-tear changes while pain in the lower back commonly shoots down the legs, neck pain may involve the shoulders and arms. For uncomplicated neck problems, treatment with rest, painkillers and perhaps physiotherapy usually suffices. A padded neck collar is helpful to ensure that the neck is properly supported and rested.

Acute stiff neck syndrome: many people have had the experience of waking up with a stiff and painful neck, often it seems for no particular reason. Movement may be possible only in one direction and the muscles of the lower neck may be tender, there are no other problems with the rest of the back or the arms or legs. The pain is associated with muscle spasm and will settle with a neck collar and painkillers in three to four days, occasionally very gentle neck traction (applying a steady pulling force) may help.

Whiplash: this is common after a car accident, when the sudden impact gives no time for muscles to brace, and the head moves like a pendulum on the neck. In the simplest cases only ligaments in the neck are sprained, and the pain and stiffness that results are caused by the neck muscles going into spasm as a protective mechanism. If there are no other problems, painkillers, a short period of rest, return to physical activity and sometimes physiotherapy are all that are required. In some cases pain persists for longer than six weeks, and it may be that the initial injury was more serious, causing damage to the discs or other structures, and has led to nerves being damaged or trapped. More detailed investigation is needed. Treatment may involve surgery, when pain remains severe for several months. it becomes more likely that there will be continuing disability.

Disc problems in the neck: discs can also prolapse in the neck, although this is less common than in the lower back, the neck is extremely stiff, and pain may shoot down one arm, strength, sensation and reflexes in the arm may be lost, in the majority of cases, the pain will settle with rest, pain relief, traction if necessary, and then a period of gentle activation with a collar. Physiotherapy to strengthen the neck muscles is also useful.

Back pain management with wear and tear problems: these changes are extremely common in the neck, and are known as cervical spondylosis. They may cause no problems at all, or lead to neck pain with headache and/ or arm pain, neck movement are reduced and some people have tender spot in the trapezium muscle which lies between the neck and the shoulders, again the arms may become weak and lose their reflexes, there may be tingling or pins and needles in the arms.
In the most serious cases, the distorted bone and ligaments can press on the spinal cord, affecting control of the arms and the legs or an artery in the region, called the vertebral artery, this leads to dizziness, a buzzing in the ear and pain behind the eyes.
Many people who have cervical spondylosis also have low back pain; the principles of treatment are the same rest in a collar, physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relief. Surgery may be necessary for a small proportion of people in back pain management .
About Author:
If you wish to learn more about the preventative measures that you can undertake to lessen or eradicate the risk of Back Ache or Back Pain then CLICK HERE to go to my website where there is fully detailed help available for you.