Back pain is the most common complaint among adults today. It is estimated that people experience back pain at least once in their lives. It is the most common reason to visit the doctor and take leave from your work or office. The National Health Service suggests back pain as a major cause of work-related absenteeism. Though back pain is uncomfortable and sometimes painful, it is generally not a serious problem. It can affect people of all age groups but is commonly observed in people aged between thirty-five to fifty-five years.
Symptoms of Back Pain
The main symptom of low back pain is a pain in all parts of the back, most often extending to the legs and buttocks. It is important to see a doctor as soon as possible if any of the following symptoms occur. Symptoms of low back pain include elevated body temperature, weight loss, persistent low back pain, back inflammation, pain that spreads to the knees and legs, urinary incontinence, and difficulty urinating. numbness near the genitals and anus, fecal incontinence, and numbness around the buttocks.
Causes of Back Pain
- The back of a person is made up of a complex structure of ligaments, muscles, discs, tendons, and bones. These problems can lead to back pain. Some common causes of back pain are-
- Excessive Exercise The most common causes of low back pain are the result of ligament tension, muscle tension, muscle spasms, lifting too heavy objects, lifting improper objects, or awkward sudden movements. Cauda equine syndrome- people suffering from this syndrome experience mild pain in the upper buttocks and lower back. Lack of sensation in the thighs, genitals, and buttocks.
- Cancer of the spine- a tumor present on the spine sometimes is compressed over a nerve and this results in back pain.
- infection- if a person has a fever and a tender warm area on the back, it may be due to the infection of the spine.
- Shingle is an infectious disease that affects the nerves of the body.
- Sleeping disorders- people with sleep disorders possibly experience back pain as compared to those who do not have sleep disorders.
- Poor mattress – Sleeping on a mattress that does not support certain parts of your body and does not straighten your spine increases your risk of back pain
Diagnosis of Back Pain
Since the back pain causes are very complex, it is generally difficult to get a proper diagnosis for it as compared to other disorders. Nevertheless, different diagnoses have different treatment approaches, so it is important to accurately diagnose the cause of back pain. More sooner is the back pain diagnosed; the earlier the person can come across a perfect treatment plan for pain relief and enhance their abilities to enjoy daily activities.
Accurate clinical diagnosis of low back pain depends on correlating the results of diagnostic tests such as MRI with the patient’s specific symptoms and the evaluation of a physical examination by a doctor.
Tips for Avoiding Back Pain Back pain is a very common physical injury. You can experience it by lifting heavy objects, sitting in front of your PC for long periods of time, or standing for long periods of time. The point here is that back pain can get serious and it could be a long-term injury that may alter one’s lifestyle. It is difficult to recover so, it is always preferable to avoid it. Below given are some useful tips on how to avoid back pain.
- regularly like walking, jogging, swimming, cycling; whatever is possible for you.
- Build up muscular flexibility and strength
- Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption
- Do not lift too heavy loads
- See to it that you sleep comfortably on a good bed mattress that will support the muscles of the back.
- Avoid being overweight that puts a lot of stress on the back muscles while sitting or standing.
- Avoid prolonged standing. You can take small breaks if needed to get instant relief from back pain.
- Get enough sleep to recover from your physical illness and refresh and wake up the next morning.