Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Backpain

Backpain is a symptom of many medical body problems. People of any age can get affected by backpain, regardless of their health status. However, as people grow older, their chances of suffering lower backpain tend to increase. This is due to factors such as fatigue from previous occupations and degenerative disk disease.

Lower back parts like the lumbar spine, vertebrae discs, ligaments, spinal cord, back muscles, internal pelvic organs, and the lumbar skin are often associated with lower back pain.

The good thing is backpain is easily treatable. Get to a chiropractor near you and have a physical spine alignment to treat your lower backpain. Backpain treatment near you might also involve surgical treatments, but only if the physical chiropractor therapies don’t work or if you prefer surgical treatment to physical therapy.

Causes of Backpain

Strain

The backbone comprises a complex structure of muscles, ligaments, nerves, and vertebrae discs interconnected to form the spine. When subjected to excess strain, there is the possibility of inflammation of the muscles, spinal cord, or other soft tissues.

Backpain is frequently caused by:

• Fatigued muscles and ligaments
• A muscle spasm
• Muscle tensions
• Damaged disks
• Fractures, falls, and injuries

Activities that can cause strains include:

• Lifting something in the wrong way
• Lifting very heavy objects
• Making a sudden surge or improper movement

Structural Problems

Various structural issues can cause back pain. They include:

• Ruptured disks –Disks are structures that cushion each vertebra. If the disks become raptured, more pressure is exerted on the nerves leading to backpain.
• Bulging Disks – Same as ruptured disks, bulging disks can pressure the nerves resulting in backpain.
• Sciatica – A sharp pain travels from the buttock and back leg causing a herniated disk to press on a nerve.
• Arthritis –Osteoarthritis in the spine can narrow the spinal cord’s surrounding space, a condition known as spinal stenosis. It can cause problems with the lower back and hips hence backpain.
• Osteoporosis – This happens when bones, including spinal vertebrae, become stiff and porous, so chances of compression fractures increase.
• Kidney Problems – Kidney infections such as kidney stones is a prevalent cause of backpain.

Movement and Posture

Adopting an extremely hunched posture when using computers or when studying affects the shoulder and back with time. Most causes of back pain are a result of poor posture in our everyday activities.

Some of these activities include:

• Twisting
• Overstretching
• Excessive coughing or sneezing
• Standing or sitting for extended periods
• Long hours of driving or using a computer in a bad posture
• Sleeping on a mattress that does not support the body correctly to keep the spine straight

Diagnosis

The Titanium Chiropractic and Wellness specialist diagnoses backpain after learning of the symptoms you exhibited from a physical examination. Image scans would be necessary if backpain was as a result of:

• Impacted injury
• Underlying causes that require treatment
• Chronic or acute back pain

X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs are used to deliver results on the softback tissues’ state.

Other diagnoses types include:

• Chiropractor – Chiropractic treatment is the direct approach to back pain treatment in Cave Creek, AZ. Chiropractors diagnose for backpain through touch, palpation, and a visual examination. They might also need to see urine tests, image scans, and blood tests.
• An Osteopath – They also diagnose by palpation and visual examination. Osteopathy involves techniques that stretch the joints and muscles through slow rhythm and low pressure stretching.
• Physical Therapist –A physical therapist specializes in diagnosing issues with the joints and other soft body tissues.

Backpain Treatment

Backpain problems mostly go away after a month or so of treatment. However, backpain is a complex condition, and since everyone is different, the pain can last for a few months. These cases are few, though.

Regular backpain treatment near you can involve medication or physical therapy, sometimes both.

Medication: Over-the-counter painkillers are used at first. If backpain doesn’t respond well to OTC medications, your doctor will recommend Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Muscle relaxants can also be used in some instances. Research on the use of anti-depressants is ongoing, though there is conflicting evidence on their effectiveness.

Physical Therapy: Your chiropractor may ask you to apply heat or ice as home therapy. Other devices used to alleviate back pain include ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and muscle release techniques for the soft tissues and back muscles.

The patient may be asked to adopt flexibility and strength physical exercises to straighten back and abdominal muscles through the treatment. Posture-improving techniques also help.

It’s suitable for the patient to practice these techniques even after the pain is gone to prevent future back pain problems.