A Briefer on Back Pain
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), back pain is among the most common medical problems in the US. International studies and reports show that it is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, preventing many from working or even engaging in daily activities. It is also one of the leading reasons for missed work days, and around 264 million work days are lost annually in America alone — this leads to lost productivity and wages on top of discomfort.
Additionally, back pain can be caused by a myriad of reasons and can affect people of all ages starting from adolescents to the elderly. Back pain is generally divided into two categories: acute pain and chronic pain, with the former lasting no longer than 6 weeks and is often caused by an accident, while chronic back pain generally lasts more than 3 months.
Causes of Back Pain
So, what causes it? There are simply a lot of ways one can be afflicted with back pain. Back pain, itself, is oftentimes a side-effect, symptom, or result of an ailment, injury, or genetics. Generally, back pain becomes more and more common as you age, and you might start having back pains as early as your teen years.
Back pain is also attributed to poor physical fitness, being overweight, and vices such as smoking. Additionally, the diseases and ailments that cause back pain are arthritis, scoliosis, kidney stones, and tumors. Lastly, back pain may also be caused by injuries such as falls, slips, fractures, and mechanical problems such as spasms, ruptured disks, and tense muscles. That said, let’s take a look at ways
Treatment
Acute back pain oftentimes gets better on its own, and surgery or exercise are rarely recommended. Moving around and medication such as aspirin and ibuprofen are often enough to help with the pain. Chronic back pain, on the other hand, may require a series of medication, exercises, behavioral modifications, physical therapy, and surgery in order to fix. There are numerous treatments out there for both acute and chronic back pain, in fact, there was a study in 2010 showed significant improvements in pain ratings and mood states for patients with chronic lower back pain after four brief standard sessions of hypnosis with psycho-education. That said, you might want to try visiting your local hypnotherapy clinic in Birmingham to help you or your loved one who’s dealing with back pain.
Living With Back Pain
Whether you’re living with chronic or acute back pain, there are a few things you can do in order to alleviate the pain and allow yourself to work or at least engage in day to day activities. The easiest way would be to use hot and cold packs — heat dilates the blood vessels on your back and increase blood supply while reducing muscle spasms, while the cold can reduce the inflammation and help numb the pain. You should also consider doing exercises such as stretching, flexion, extensions, and aerobic exercises to ease the pain and could even help reduce the risk of chronic back pain from returning. Lastly, ensure that you maintain good posture and a proper diet with calcium and vitamin D to keep your spine strong and also control your weight.
Conclusion
The best way to cope with back pain is to be knowledgeable about the effect and impact of back pain, as well as its causes, treatment, and daily life adjustments and routines to lessen and live with the pain whether it’s chronic or acute.