Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Back pain is a serious, well commonly found condition among people. People suffering from frequent back pain should seek immediate medical checkups and treatment. It can weaken and make people feel uncomfortable. It might result from any particular activity, injury, accident, or other medical condition.

It can affect people of any age, and the back pain causes can be different for everyone. The chances of getting back pain increase with the increasing age of people. The reason behind increasing factors can be degenerative disk disease, previous job, etc.

Back Pain Causes

Mentioned below are some of the major back pain causes found in people.

Arthritis

Some people feel regular back pain if they are suffering from spinal osteoarthritis. The reason behind its occurrence is deterioration and damage in the cartilage of joints in the lower back part of people. After every passing time, this condition leads to the narrowing of the spinal stenosis or spinal column.

Strain

If people have strained muscles, they might feel the issue of back pain. This is because the muscle usually gets strained by not lifting heavy objects properly, immediate awkward movements, etc. The strain might also be a cause of excessive work performance.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition in which people face loss of bone density and thinning of the bone. It leads towards having small fractures in the vertebrae. The fractures might cause serious issues such as severe pain. It is referred to as compression fracture.

Symptoms of Having Back Pain

Back pain might be the result of various conditions and different symptoms. Mentioned below are some of the common symptoms felt by most people having back pain.

• a dull, aching sensation in the lower back
• a stabbing or shooting pain that can radiate down the leg to the foot
• an inability to stand up straight without pain
• a decreased range of motion and reduced ability to flex the back

Back pain symptoms, if due to strain or misuse, are usually short-lived but can last for days or weeks. However, back pain is chronic when symptoms have been present for longer than 3 months.

Symptoms of back pain which lead to some serious issues

People suffering from issues associated with back pain must visit the doctor if the pain continues even after 2 weeks. Everyone should take it seriously as it might result from some crucial medical issue. Mentioned below are the symptoms that can indicate a more serious medical problem.

• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in one or both legs
• Back pain after trauma (injury), such as a fall or a blow to the back
• Intense, constant pain that gets worse at night
• Unexplained weight loss
• Pain associated with a throbbing sensation in the abdomen
• Fever

Treatment of Back Pain

Mentioned below are some of the common types of treatment provided to people suffering from back pain.

Physical therapy

One of the best ways to treat back pain is by performing physical therapies or exercises. People can consult a physician or physical spine specialist for the treatment and back pain causes. They assign different types of exercises to different people. The exercises vary depending on the issue and symptoms felt by people. People must maintain their exercise routine at home to get the best and speedy outcomes. Physical therapy for back pain may include the following:

• Retraining your posture
• Testing the limits of pain tolerance
• Stretching and flexibility exercises
• Aerobic exercises
• Core strengthening
• Injection-based treatment

Different injection-based procedures are carried out for the treatment of back pain, such as epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, nerve ablations, etc. These methods are used only when the actual source of pain is found. It is also performed if a certain type of treatment is not working for people. Injections might reduce or remove the pain for a certain period. Therefore, they are not intended as long-term solutions and shouldn’t be used in isolation.

Maintaining a healthy diet

Some foods contain high amounts of inflammatory sources such as refined sugars, trans fats, processed food, etc. A higher amount of inflammatory level can lead to the occurrence of back pain. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a healthy weight, and people should consume a healthy diet. In addition, those who are overweight get pressure on their spine. Thus, people should maintain their weight so that their spine will have less pressure and can reduce the pressure on it.

Alternative treatment sources

People can get relief by opting for alternative treatment options if the medications, physical therapies, etc., are not showing effective outcomes. They can know the back pain causes and ask the spine specialist to recommend a good alternative treatment. They suggest the method depending on the issues. The specialist suggests massage, biofeedback therapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, electrical nerve stimulation and other nonsurgical spine treatments.

The Bottom Line

Back pain is a common ailment, and older people are more likely to experience it. With treatment, most episodes of back pain will resolve on their own. Occasionally, people will need help from the doctor through prescription medication or injections. Surgery may be an option in very rare cases. Explore the website to know more.