Back Problems? Information and Treatment

Four out of five adults have at least one experience of severe back pain during their lives and for many others it can be completely debilitating. Firstly, let us take a look at how to prevent back injuries. Your back is made of muscle, bone, soft tissues and nerves and it is the mainframe of your body. Due to the amount of use your back gets during a normal working day it can become particularly vunerable to injury. Your lower back bears most weight and stress of your body and back pain frequently occurs from strained back muscles, from improper or heavy lifting, ligament problems and even a sudden or arkward movement can bring on debilitating pain. In some cases there may not be an obvious cause so here are a few tips on how to prevent back injury:-

You may be able to avoid back problems if you improve your overall physical condition and learn how to correctly life heavy objects. In order to improve and strengthen your back, exercise such as low-impact aerobic, which does not strain nor jolt your back, can increase the muscle strength in your back and enable your muscles to function better. Two other fantastic and easy excercises in order to build up back strenght are walking and swimming. Exercise also builds flexibility into your muscles and keep the core muscles flexible.

Another tip in order to keep your back in excellent shape is to stop smoking. Smoking diminishes your oxygen levels in your spinal tissue which, if you pull a muscle in your back or injure a ligament, will slow down your natural healing process. Also, your weight is a very important issue in prevention of back ailments. Keep a healthy weight as being overweight puts extra pressure on your back muscles and sometimes this can be the main problem for people who are obese.

If you have to stand for long periods of time in your job alternate the weight distribution from foot to foot. A good way of doing this and to alleviate pressure on your spine is to use a footstool and place one foot on it, alternating during the day. When you have to sit all day long select a seat with good support, arm rests and a swivel base. If you have to lift heavy items then ensure that you be smart and let your legs do all the work. Move straight up and down and do not bend your back at any time. Finally, in preventing the onset of back problems, get a good medium-firm mattress and never use a pillow that forces your neck into severe angles.

Now to those who already have varying degrees of back problems. There are a few treatments which really help to alleviate back pain such as Physical Therapy and, as mentioned above, light exercise. A phycical therapist can apply heat or cold to the affected area, use ultrasound, electrical stimulation and a variety of other treatments to help your pain. For those who have severe or chronic back pain prescription medications are available such as anit-inflammatory drugs or in more severe cases, Cortisone injections. A Cortisone injection may be recommended if you have a pinched nerve or severe debilitating back pain and will be administered into your epidural space which will decrease inflammation around the nerve roots. Electrical stimulation is yet another form for those with more severe back problems (TENS), this is generally used when a patient gets no relief from the other treatments available.

In the most severe cases, surgery may be required. This would be considered for patients who are suffering constant and intense pain which is localized or travels down one or both legs. Other symptoms which would lead to surgery would include severe weakness due to the constant pain, weight loss, numbness or tingling, throbbing, a fever, bowel or bladder problems and if you receive a severe fall, blow to your back or neck and head. Surgery is the last route taken and is used to alleviate chronic conditions associated with back pain.