Back pain: Treatment, symptoms, advice and help

About back pain

Back pain is a very common complaint of many individuals. It may result from various physiological or pathological causes and may be varied in presentation.

Back pain: Incidence, age and sex

There is a high incidence of back pain in the general population, with high prevalence in women. Middle age and old age adults are most commonly seen afflicted with back pain.

Signs and symptoms of back pain: Diagnosis

Back pain on its own, is a symptom which may result from some underlying cause. The back pain may be sudden in onset or occur gradually and may vary from mild to severe depending upon its cause. The pain may be sudden in onset, remain persistent and aggravate in a particular position. This kind of pain usually results from muscle spasm or strained joint. Sometimes an individual may complain of sharp, excruciating pain spreading to lower limbs and associated with tingling and numbness in legs. This is typically a neuropathic type of pain which may result from compression of nerve in conditions like spinal stenosis. A common condition like sciatica in which lumbar vertebral discs are involved may present with acute and persistent back pain spreading to legs. Certain imaging investigations like X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans may help in confirming the cause of back pain.

Causes and prevention of back pain

Several conditions like physiological, diseases and injuries may result in back pain:

• Physiological causes like incorrect posture while sitting, prolonged hours of sitting, physically inactive, later stages of pregnancy and advancing age.
• Trauma or injury to spine in falls, accidents, sudden jerk or twisting movements
• Diseases like arthritis of spine, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal stenosis, vertebral fracture, kidney stones, gynaecological disorders like endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory diseases.

Some preventive measures can help in keeping back pain at bay. Regular physical exercise, optimum weight, correct posture especially while sitting and using flat shoes are some preventive measures. Moreover, incidence of back pain can also be prevented by avoiding lifting heavy weight and prolonged sitting. It is advisable to take breaks and stretch up if your work involves lengthy hours in sitting positions.

Back pain: Complications

Long standing back pain may be extremely distressing at times. It may hamper regular physical activities. No serious complicating health concerns of back pain have been noted.

Back pain: Treatment

First of all, the cause of back pain should be ascertained and treated accordingly. Physical therapy, adequate rest, hot compress and pain-killer medications help in relieving pain in most of the individuals. Back pain arising from physiological causes usually subsides on its own. Surgical intervention may be needed in rare cases like spinal stenosis or a vertebral fracture.