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| You did a great job on that yard, didn’t you? You chopped, trimmed, and cut branches, ripping those darned volunteer trees out of the yard. It looks great. As you stand up to fetch your golf bag for your weekly game, however, you feel it—that low, rumbling pain. You’ve had it before and you have it again. It’s off to the couch with the ice bag for you! Back pain is the second most frequent reason that patients give for going to the doctor. It is second only to headache pain. If you are one of the 65 million estimated people this year who have back pain, you understand what “Oh my aching back” really means. The good news is that 90% of the time the pain goes away—eventually. Back pain is referenced using two terms: “acute” and “chronic.” Acute pain lasts for a few days or weeks. You may notice aching muscles, severe stabbing pains in the lower back area, and problems with flexibility and standing straight. The cause of this acute back pain could be a sports injury or some other strenuous, out-of-the-ordinary activity. The pain usually goes away in a few days or weeks, and it can be treated with ice, rest, and anti-inflammatory medicine. Chronic pain is the type of pain that people often live with for years before they seek treatment. This pain rarely lets up and is difficult to treat. Chronic pain most likely originates with a back injury, a strain, an infection, or maybe even arthritis. If the source of the pain is not treated adequately, it simply progresses. This can cause long-term damage not only to your back, but to your quality of life. Chronic pain can begin to control your life, limiting your activities and optimism. Your way of life can become compromised; you may experience loneliness, isolation, and depression. All of this from back pain? Yes! Chronic pain can begin to dictate how much of life you are experiencing. Many factors can cause back pain, from posture, to shoes, to sports injuries, weight gain, or simply twisting or reaching incorrectly. If you have recently injured your back, there are several things you should do. Resting your back is the first one. You need to determine if this is just a strain or a debilitating injury. Don’t try to just “walk it off.” Get off your feet and take it easy while your back heals. Baby an aching back for no more than three days before consulting a doctor about the pain though. You will need to consult a doctor if the pain persists without relief or if the pain wakes you at night. If this is a serious back injury, you should probably get to a physician right away. How can you sift through the variety of remedies that are available to help? Your mother was right when she told you to sit up straight. Many times improving posture can help with back pain. Think of your posture as the frame of a house. The health of your spine, skeleton, connective tissues, and joints keeps you walking, chasing kids, working, and vacuuming. Without that internal core strength, it all falls down into a heap. You aren’t going to be able to play that second round of golf or compete in that club tennis tournament if your back hurts. Prevention of injury is the key, and it may need to begin with a posture overhaul. Take a quick glance at the people around you right now. Whether they are standing or sitting, what does their posture look like? Some are hunched over computer screens with clenched jaws, heads bobbing from right to left. Slouching causes your muscles and ligaments to struggle to keep you balanced. This can result in pain, back fatigue, stress on other parts of the body, and additional pain. Posture experts offer several tips: Hold your chest high; keep your shoulders back and relaxed; pull in your abdomen and buttocks; keep your feet parallel when you stand; balance your weight evenly on both feet; and relax your knees. Good posture will help increase your energy and airflow. How much does that backpack or purse weigh that you are carrying? What about the toddler you shift from hip to hip? Do you stretch regularly? Physicians believe that brief stretching and strengthening exercises throughout the day can prevent back pain. A yoga or Pilates class can teach you techniques in stretching and strengthening, toning, and relaxing. A quick examination of your shoe style may indicate why your back hurts. Are you walking long distances in non-supportive shoes? How high is that high heel? If you have sought medical care for your back pain, the doctor’s first goal will probably be to help you manage your pain. He or she will also formulate a plan to teach you how to strengthen your back or manage your condition so the problem does not return. Pain management frequently begins with ice or heat therapy—or a combination of both. You may experience less pain with heat or ice only for 10 to 20 minutes once every two hours. You can gain relief from over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen. Many of these medications will help reduce inflammation, relax the muscles, and promote healing. Your doctor will advise you on the strength and frequency of these pain medications. If these medications do not help the pain, you may need to request something more potent. Some patients choose to use epidural corticosteroid injections as part of their treatment. These injections are used as part of a patient’s physical therapy program. The injections are used along with back and stretching exercises to increase muscle flexibility, strengthening the body’s core and restoring function. They usually provide relief within 48 hours. Cortisone shots have been used successfully in treating back pain as well. Cortisone is a hormone that is produced by the body and therefore does not cause allergic reactions. Most cortisone shots that are used today are a semi-artificial cortisone derivative. They are highly beneficial for blocking pain, while causing fewer side effects. Part of your treatment may include physical therapy. You will usually begin physical therapy within 72 hours of the injury, depending on the inflammation and nature of the injury. These visits may be three to four times a week, lasting four to six weeks. The physical therapist will assess your pain and evaluate your physical condition. The idea here is to get you back to your activities as quickly as possible, and the therapist will work with you to outline your goals. You will be given a program to follow both during therapy and on your own. The therapist will come up with exercises that will improve your range of motion or muscle strength, as well as to improve mobility. Gentle strengthening exercises for your stomach, legs, and back can also help you keep the flexibility that is so important as you age. Stretching increases flexibility and can decrease lower back pain. If you are not involved in physical therapy, ask one of the personal trainers at your local fitness center to show you some of these exercises. This does not involve pretzel-type contortions. You may find that exercise balls or flex bands allow you to work on muscle groups that you forgot you had. The therapist may include deep-tissue massage sessions, or use ultrasound therapy to speed the healing process. Aquatic workouts or water therapy may also help. If you have occasional stiffness or strain in your back, you might want to purchase a handheld massager at a local store that specializes in back remedies. These stores sell a variety of items designed to help your back feel better. In addition to massagers, you will find back-friendly furniture, mattresses, pillows, chairs, and keyboards. Are you considering a chiropractor? Chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs, but they are considered by many to be partners in overall health care. Chiropractic medicine is based on the principle that spinal joint misalignments interfere with the nervous system and cause a variety of health issues. Indeed, many patients suffering from severe back pain have seen improvement with chiropractic manipulation. The chiropractor will assess the patient by performing a complete physical, along with x-rays, a medical history, and laboratory tests before diagnosis and treatment. The chiropractor may also use therapies such as heat, massage, electric currents, ultrasound, and acupuncture. Chiropractors counsel their patients using a holistic philosophy, talking to them about nutrition, lifestyle changes, how to manage stress, and exercising wisely. A course of chiropractic treatment that involves three to four visits per week for an average of six to eight weeks is not uncommon. After the initial treatment, the chiropractor may recommend one to two weeks for another month, and then maintenance with one or two visits per month. The treatment varies per patient and injury. After long, conservative treatment, perhaps you have gotten a second opinion and have come to the conclusion that surgery is inevitable. Surgery is no guarantee that back pain will disappear, and is most often the last choice in managing back pain. What are some of the more common spinal surgeries? Discectomy is the most common spine surgery. This procedure removes a portion of a herniated disc that rests between each vertebrae. The herniated portion of the disc is removed to relieve the pressure on the nerves. A laminectomy is a surgery that relieves pressure on the spinal cord, involving removal of the bone overlying the spinal canal. This surgery is done to relieve nerve pressure caused by spinal stenosis. Spinal fusion permanently connects two or more bones in your spine. It can relieve pain by adding stability to a spinal fracture. This surgery may be performed to repair a degenerated or injured disk. Vertebroplasty is when the surgeon injects bone cement into vertebrae that are compressed, and can help relieve pain and stabilize a fracture. A kyphoplasty is when a device that resembles a balloon is used to expand compressed vertebrae before the cement is injected. Most back pain can improve if you stay active and understand your limitations. There are many options and treatments that can help you stay healthy and improve your quality of life. Get busy—there’s yard work to do! Sources for this story included: www.ninds.nih.gov, www.mayoclinic.com, www.back.com, and www.spineuniverse.com. |
Back Pain Remedies |
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