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How much do you really know about the pain in your low back pain? If you suffer from it, chances are that you slowly realize it creeps up on you and has taken over your life. Low back pain is one of the most common health problems in the developed world—and it's on the rise. Its causes can be diverse and differ from person to person. There are many risk factors that can either cause this condition or increase your susceptibility to it.
Low back pain can be anything from a minor nuisance to an unwanted and recurring guest. For some people, it is a temporary problem that goes away on its own. And for others, it becomes chronic.
The problem with back pain is that it's hard to differentiate normal muscle soreness from actual back pain. And with lower back pain becoming more common, it's important that people must understand what this condition is and know how to treat it. Here we will discuss the causes of low back pain and the various treatment options available at our pain management NYC center.
The Symptoms of Low Back Pain Can Vary
The nature and severity of its pain can be completely different for everybody. It can come on suddenly just because something as simple as reaching for your phone one too many times in a day have exacerbated a problem disc or even a muscle. But on the other hand, it can be exasperated by or develop from years of chronic degeneration or injury and also become a pain in other parts of your body (think legs and arms).
The term "low back pain" often refers to a wide range of symptoms, including:
A dull, aching pain in the low back that may radiate to the buttocks or legs
Pain with sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time
Pain when lifting objects or turning over in bed
Tenderness on palpation (touching) over the affected area
Difficulty standing upright and bending over
Numbness and tingling in the legs
Many Factors Can Cause Low Back Pain
Low back pain is more a symptom than it is a condition in itself. It usually means that there's some kind of problem in the lower part of your spine, which may be caused by a number of things, including arthritis, muscle spasms, infections, and injuries. In many cases, low back pain is caused by harmful physical activities or poor posture.
The important thing to remember is that not all low back pain is serious or needs treatment. But if you have low back pain that persists, it's important to get it evaluated by a health professional so you can receive treatment and avoid serious complications.
Low back pain is a symptom that can arise from any number of conditions, including:
Disc herniation: The annulus fibrosis (outer ring) ruptures, allowing the nucleus pulposus (inner gel) to protrude into the spinal canal. This presses on nerves exiting the spine and can cause numbness, tingling, and weakness in the lower extremities below the level of injury.
Spinal stenosis: Calcium deposits cause narrowing of the spinal canal space leading to inflammation of nerve roots in this area. This results in weakness or paralysis of muscles below the level of injury.
Repetitive motion injuries: These occur when your body is forced to perform repetitive motions over and over again. For example, if you sit at a desk all day or spend hours driving, the muscles in your lower back may become strained.
Muscle strain: Muscle strain occurs when there's too much pressure on your muscles or ligaments (tissues that connect bones). This can happen because you're lifting something heavy or because you're doing an activity that requires a lot of effort from your muscles — like running or cycling.
Sciatica: Sciatica refers to pain felt along the path of the sciatic nerve, which starts at the lower back and runs down through each leg to the foot. Sciatica commonly occurs after bending forward for long periods (like when picking up something heavy) and then standing up quickly.
Low back pain is a symptom of many different problems in the spine and other structures in the lower part of your body. Most often, that means muscles, joints, and bones are sore or injured in some way. But sometimes, it's something else altogether — like an infection or a tumor.
Low back pain is the most common musculoskeletal condition, with an estimated 80 percent of adults experiencing low back pain at some point in their lives. Although most episodes of low back pain last less than six weeks and resolve without treatment, some people experience persistent pain or disability that negatively impacts their quality of life.
Different Treatment Options for Low Back Pain
The low back is a complicated area that supports your weight and helps you move. When something goes wrong in this region, it can cause pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling in the legs, as well as problems with bladder control.
Low back pain can be a debilitating condition. If you experience chronic cases of back pain, see a pain specialist to rule out any outstanding serious problems or conditions. This will ensure that your back pain isn't being compounded by anything else.
Treatment options for low back pain depends on its cause, severity, and duration. In most cases, treatment involves nonsurgical approaches such as physical therapy and chiropractic care.
Physical therapy can help relieve low back pain by targeting specific muscles and joints in the back that may be causing the problem. The physical therapist will work with you on strengthening your core muscles, improving flexibility in your hips and legs, and teaching you posture techniques that can ease pressure on your lower back. This will help strengthen your stability and improve your balance so that you can do activities without hurting yourself again.
Many people find that regular exercise helps relieve back pain and strengthen their core muscles. Exercise can also help improve posture, which may improve your chances of avoiding future flare-ups. However, talk to a pain specialist before starting any new exercise routine because certain activities may aggravate your condition or cause additional injuries.
Research shows that chiropractic care can be highly beneficial for treating low back pain because it helps restore proper joint function, which helps increase circulation and promote overall health. In addition, chiropractic adjustments help reduce pain by removing pressure on nerves in the spine, which causes inflammation throughout the body.
In some cases, minimally invasive procedures, such as injection into the affected area to reduce swelling, might be needed if you have sciatica — which is a symptom of nerve irritation caused by compression of the sciatic nerve in your spine.
Relieve Your Back Pain Problem
We live in a world that demands incredible amounts of work from us for extraordinary periods of time. Fatigue, stress, and long hours of activity have all been shown to contribute to back pain. It is a real problem that affects many people from all walks of life. This is why it's important to consider limiting your exposure to the factors as much as possible.
Our hope is that this article will acquaint you with the major causes of back pain and help you identify the best way to treat your pain. Ultimately, the treatment route you choose is something that should be discussed with our pain management NYC specialist.
Low back pain is a complicated subject and isn't something to ignore—especially if it's causing you actual physical discomfort. It's not a condition that you should attempt to treat yourself. You could be making your pain worse or causing greater damage without even realizing it.
Fortunately, treatments are available to help relieve your pain and help you get back to your usual routine. Which treatment option is right for you will depend largely on how severe your pain is, how long it lasts, and what other symptoms accompany it. So, if you are experiencing low back pain, be sure to consult our pain specialists for more information about your condition.