Saturday, November 8, 2008

Causes and Treatment of Low Back Pain Essential Info

By Lorna Hillier

I would like to cover every aspect of low back pain causes and treatment. In order to keep things short I have only included the major topics detailed as best as possible.

Of all health conditions resulting in visits to the physician, back pain is the most usual. With low back pain taking the cake as the most endured type of back pain of them all.

The treatments and causes of low back pain are plenty. It can overtake us quickly or grow overnight if we have lifted something heavy or bent our back the wrong way.

Low back pain affects people of almost all ages, with those between 30 and 50 years of age being the most common. Teenagers are also sometimes affected by low back pain from carrying heavy backpacks every day causing strain on the lower back.

Low back pain can be different for one person than another, but generally it is caused by either working the back too much or not enough. The importance of realizing the causes and treatment of low back pain becomes extremely evident when you start feeling the first tinges of pain.

One patient may be struck down with low back pain from a super active lifestyle leading to overusing their back. While a 'couch potato' person risks low back pain from weak muscles due to their lack of exercise.

Some of the causes of low back pain are bulging or ruptured disc, sciatica, spinal degeneration, heavy lifting, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis and age. All of these conditions can become serious if they are not treated early in their stage.

A bulging or ruptured disc if not treated early enough may be forced into the spinal canal and rest on the lumber and nerve roots. This shockingly painful condition is called cauda equine syndrome and is capable of causing permanent neurological damage.

Bad posture, incorrect bending, lifting and sitting are often the cause of low back pain. And if effective ergonomics were utilized back pain together with low back pain would not be so common.

When it comes to low back pain the patient, coupled with how bad the pain is, will influence the treatment. People usually will only opt for surgery as a last resort. Luckily surgery can be avoided in most cases.

To prevent swelling it is of the upmost importance to apply ice on the injury or tenderness every few hours for roughly 15 minutes for the first couple of days. This practice can influence if the pain reduces quickly or whether the trauma becomes more severe.

If you attend the doctors surgery for the causes and treatment of low back pain they'll probably suggest an analgesic with an anti-inflammatory drug. After a few days X-rays may be ordered if your low back pain has not improved.

Physical therapy is usually the treatment of choice if there is not a problem with your X-rays requiring a surgical procedure. Although physical therapy may be painful at the time, it is very beneficial in the majority of low back pain situations. Also to protect your back in the future and decrease the pain you will probably receive special exercises to complete at home.

You must be interested in low back pain causes and treatments and that is why you have read this article. Please feel free to visit our huge back pain site for everything to do with back pain.

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