Back pain is becoming more and more common day by day, with a constant increase in the aging of baby boomers. Back pain accounts for about 20% of all injuries and illnesses in the United States. It is essential to manage back pain as soon as possible with the help of anti-inflammatory creams or oral medication, however you need to think long-term with targeted physiotherapy for back pain. If back pain is ignored for a long time, it becomes chronic and continues to torment at any time of the day or night. Pain can be called chronic; if it returns, it is stimulated by even a small movement and lasts more than three months. Chronic back pain causes severe discomfort and interferes with daily activities.
Chronic Back Pain: Common causes
1. Bad posture – if you sit down, increase the tension of the back muscles and put strong pressure on the shoulders and back. It would help if you always stood with your back straight.
2. Incorrect standing position – if you put your weight on one leg while standing, the balance is wrong, and this puts pressure on the back. Our back can easily support weight when the curvature of the body is lower. The standing condition is extremely harmful. It is best to weigh both legs evenly and gently hold your hands behind your lower back. This improves the position of the arms, neck, and back.
3. Sitting in the same position for a long time – this causes high pressure on the back and reduces blood supply, which causes back pain. You need to take short walks regularly or stretch your body slightly to lower your blood pressure and restore blood flow.
4. Lifting heavy objects
If you lift objects that are too heavy, they can cause undue strain on your back and result in muscle breakdown or tearing of ligaments. If you do not have help in lifting a heavy object, before lifting lift your abdominal muscles, straighten your back, bend your knees, hold the object correctly and lift your body. When you are standing, keep the object close to your body and do not twist. This will help you lift objects without overloading your back.
5. The sudden onset of intense exercise or activity – causes sudden muscle tension and causes stretching or stretching of the back muscles. To avoid this, it is advisable to do warm-ups and stretching exercises. Also, it would help if you did not suddenly start playing sports after a long period of inactivity.
6. Excessive weight
Excessive weight (especially at the waist) creates a higher load on the back since the spinal cord must support more weight than necessary. Eat healthy, nutritious foods regularly, and do exercises to keep your weight under control.
7. Pregnancy
A pregnant woman should have chronic back pain at some point in pregnancy. To avoid complicating this pain during childbirth, it is recommended that you receive proper counseling and treatment to control back pain.
Treatment options
There are several treatment options for those who suffer from chronic back pain. Effective treatment of back problems is usually done using a combination of treatments that are designed not only to alleviate symptoms, but also to restore key functions to prevent future back problems arising again.
The first thing most doctors or specialised lower back pain physiotherapy want to do is control the pain with a particular form of pain medication. It can be counter-drugs or anti-slip. The strength of the medicine you need will depend on the severity of the pain and what your doctor will recommend for this type of injury.
Once the pain is controlled, the next step will be a form of physiotherapy with a qualified and respected physiotherapist. The goal of targeted physiotherapy is to restore the range of motion and return to normal functioning for everyday life. It should also include exercises to strengthen your back and neck as these are the most common causes of spine issues, which will ultimately help you avoid back problems in the future.
Surgery is usually the last solution for chronic back pain. Most back pain problems can be treated with less invasive treatments such as dedicated neck pain physiotherapy or headache physiotherapy or back pain specialist sydney. A good doctor will never be suitable for treating back pain unless all other treatments have been exhausted. Due to its invasive nature and prolonged recovery time, surgery should be avoided if possible.
About the Author
Tim Adams is a leading musculoskeletal physio bondi junction who specialises in both headache and spine treatment. With over 20 years’ experience, Tim is referred to by some of Australia’s leading neurosurgeons to help with post-operative rehabilitation from his boutique spinal physio clinic.