There are countless back pain causes. For this reason, it’s important to seek assistance from a physician. To properly diagnose your condition, your doctor will first need to eliminate any potential causes. These may include medical or injury-related conditions. The following are a few of the most common back pain causes:
- Obesity: Excess weight can have a negative impact on your health. Not only can being overweight or obese result in weak joints, it can cause a steep decline in your overall health. This can make you more susceptible to spinal injuries.
- Poor posture: Most people spend the majority of their day sitting in a chair. As a result, their posture suffers. To solve this issue, people need to be conscientious of the way they’re sitting, standing, and walking.
- Medical conditions: Arthritis, osteoporosis, and other common conditions can result in spinal injury. This is because these medical conditions affect the health of one’s spine, causing it to deteriorate.
- Accident or injury: Accident and sports-related injuries can result in moderate to severe pain. Whether it’s caused by a sports injury or falling off a ladder, these injuries can hinder your ability to move around.
- Stress: While stress may not cause back pain, it can certainly aggravate it. In fact, some patients may be unaware of a back injury until stress makes the pain worse.
If left untreated, these back pain causes may result in excruciating pain. However, there are a few treatment methods that have proved effective at alleviating back pain, including the following:
- Massage: Having a massage can boost blood flow and provide muscle relaxation. This treatment can be especially beneficial for those suffering from a pinched nerve, bulging disc, spinal stenosis or a protruded disc.
- Ice and Heat Therapy: These therapies can be instrumental in providing temporary relief for aches and pains. While the cold therapy reduces swelling, hot therapy can soothe pain. Keep in mind that heat and ice therapy is not a long-term back pain treatment.
Learn how to make an ice or heat compress: - Rest: If you’re suffering from mild to moderate back pain, you may be able to rid yourself of the pain by resting for one to two days. It’s important to note that an extended period of bed rest can actually do more harm than good.
- Exercise: Some patients believe that exercise can intensify back pain. However, it has been shown that low-intensity exercises can ease pain while strengthening muscles. Some of these exercises include swimming, bicycling, and walking. Light weight training can also improve muscle tone, making you less likely to endure a back-related injury.
- Medication: Over-the-counter and prescription medications can contribute to back pain relief. These may include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sleep aids, muscle relaxants or prescription pain killers.
- Surgery: Because of the risks involved, like bleeding or infection, surgery should be your last resort for back pain treatment. Unlike nonsurgical methods, back surgery makes use of powerful anesthesia and large incisions.
Talk to your doctor to learn more about types of back pain treatment. He or she will be able to recommend the best approach to achieving back pain relief.
Leave a Reply