ONE LOW BACK PAIN TREATMENT TRICK

Written by Uche

DISCLAIMER

This post is purely informational. Please contact your closest health professional for a qualified diagnosis and prescription on how to deal with your back pain. 

WHAT IS LOW BACK PAIN?

Lower back pain is part and parcel of Back pain.

Our backs are extensive. They start from where our necks end to where our buttocks crease. Now that's way longer than you thought right. So, any part of this back can suddenly or gradually become painful and this pain can be anything from dull and aching to sharp and spreading. 

Back pain can be acute (that is, still recent and can have a duration of 2 - 4 weeks), it can also be sub-acute (which has a longer duration of 4 to 12 weeks) and it can be said to be chronic back pain (which has the longest duration of more than 12 weeks). Both kids and adults of all ethnicity can get back pain and it is always wise to contact a health profession who will diagnose the pain properly.

More specifically and way more common is lower back pain which is also called lumbago. This is not said to be a disorder but rather a symptom that signals many different types of medical issues. It could be a sign that the following (and more) have been affected in a severe way:

•  ligaments ( a tough yet flexible connective tissue that connects two bony structures to each other )
• muscles 
• nerves ( transmits electrical impulses )
• bony structures.

We cannot exclude that our backs itself may be completely fine (in terms of location) and the pain could be coming from our internal organs. A well known organ that commonly refers pain to the back are the kidneys. Most of the internal organs do not have a lot of nerve endings that can sense pain and so rely on the referred pain system to be located and treated. A useful system indeed otherwise, our internal organs would deteriorate without us having a clue.

Lower back pain can be linked to the way you eat. You can try different diet tricks that could help with shedding extra weight causing back pain here.

https://uchetherapy.blogspot.com/2020/10/weight-loss-diets-that-actually-work.html

A person becomes aware of their back pain  or lower back pain when, quite obviously, they are in pain. As a result, their back movements become restricted because of the pain. 

The pain can be:

• dull (as we would feel if we were punched in the stomach)
• sharp 
• radiating (spreading out from the back to the legs)

HOW DO YOU GET IT?

Like a new born baby who cannot say what he or she wants and therefore resorts to crying as a way of communicating his or her needs, our bodies have their own way of letting us know that something is definitely wrong somewhere. Just as we cannot ignore the heart wrenching cries of a baby, we cannot ignore our bodies cry for help. 

The back is the most common body part to "cry" and this pain can be caused by a spectrum of activities. We could simple be "Netflix and chilling", bending over some gardening, be carrying a baby (in the womb or not), stuck for hours studying, writing this blog for hours on end or seriously involved in a motor vehicle accident. 

To add to the list of causes, the muscles of the back can be strained because of incorrect posture or because we over use them. Office workers and athletes can attest to this. The diagram above shows many more ways we can get back pain. It is important to also mention that incorrect posture not only affects the muscles but the bone structure leading to complications like scoliosis and kyphosis.

Just a little anatomical foundation, our backs are made out of bones stacked on top of each other with jelly like disks in between each and a hole through the bones and disks that acts as a conduit for the spinal cord. If the some bones break or  move out of place, or the disks come out of from between the bones, the nerves of the back can become compressed as a result. This leads to another symptom called sciatica which is the radiation or divergence from the back to the legs and it comes with feelings of tingling and numbness.

Other causes which are just as important include, arthritis, bacterial or fungal infections, tumors and kidney stones. Another reason why we should never self diagnose.

 

HOW TO GET RID OF IT?

I'm sure by now, you are eager to know this one simple way we can kick back pain to the curb. The very simple solution: MOVE. 

Especially when the pain is still new, moving kills the pain instantly. Now, the results depend on how long you move for and what types of movements you do. The longer and more specific movements will produce better results and that is the honest truth.  

Exercising is a slight intense form of movement and since your spine connects to almost every other structural part of you, any exercise is just so good for the spine. 

Now before I just shove yoga towards you, you may want to try planks and squats first. You can actually feel the pain fading away and this is speaking from experience. Introducing yoga positions like cat-cow, child's pose, extended triangle and bridge pose. Add in stationery bicycle, swimming and even jogging if you have time. 

As a word of caution, if you have knee problems, protect them with knee guards or a simple bandage. I can't say this enough: get expert help!

Of course prevention has never not been better than cure. So here are some ways to prevent back pain in the first place especially if you can. I know sometimes, work calls for it and certain things can not be avoided. 

• Carry what you can without straining your back
• Bend your knees when lifting. It relieves pressure off your back.
• Work on your core (back and abdominals)
• Wear comfortable shoes more than not
• Heels are fashionable but great posture equals spine alignment
• Have a great posture
• Stretch everyday

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