How to Help Back Pain

In order to know how to help back pain we must first understand what is causing the discomfort.
The pain can be:

• Specific - such as being caused by a prolapsed/herniated disc, a spinal cord break, or any diagnosed back disorders.
• Non-specific - when it is caused by stress on muscles and ligaments that support the spine resulting in pain in the regions of the neck, upper back, shoulders, or lower back.

The symptoms range from an irritable discomfort to chronic pain that can prevent everyday activities. Specific signs are usually: pain in lower/upper back, muscles spasms, pain that radiates to the thighs, buttocks, lower leg, or down the arms, and tenderness in the back where the underlying cause may rest. The pain could possibly be caused by problems with the nerves, discs, bones, muscles, or ligaments.
The most common root causes of back pain include:

• Degeneration of bones, muscles, and nerves due to aging - your discs tend to lose their water content with age, resulting in a dry crustier disc that is more susceptible to damage.
• Genetic problems such as a predisposition to degenerative disk disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, and spinal stenosis, may also mean that you are more at risk of developing these conditions than others.
• A bulging/herniated disc
• Kidney diseases
• Pregnancy
• Tumors
• Internal bleeding
• Shingles
• Infection of the pelvis
• Aneurysm of the aorta
• Infection of cartilage and or bones in the spinal column
• Ovarian cysts and other related problems
• Paget's disease of the bone

Problems with bones, muscles, or ligaments contribute to 95% of back pain cases. It can be sudden or it can be due to a persistent strain over a prolonged period of time. In most cases, the pain is short term and may not be attributed to any permanent damage. Conversely, many people have underlying spinal problems that they are not even aware of as the symptom of pain is not present.
Back pain most often occurs due to:

• Standing or bending for long periods of time
• Sitting in a badly designed chair
• Lack of exercise
• Poor posture
• Sleeping on a bed/mattress that does not provide adequate back support
• Improper lifting, carrying, or moving techniques
• An accident - trip/fall/car crash

As you can see there are many possible causes to your back pain and this is why determining that root cause is very important before proceeding with any treatment.
Fortunately, most causes of back pain are manageable and can be alleviated or prevented by small changes in lifestyle habits...

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