What Causes Back Pain, Relief, Solutions and More

In the United States there is only one ailment that is more of a neurological problem then back pain, and that is the headache.

Have you ever pulled a muscle in your back and had to experience a few weeks of soreness and pain?  Perhaps you suffered for a few days after you slipped and fell, or maybe you hurt your back while playing a sport. 

This kind of pain, while admittedly legitimate, cannot begin to compare to the pain that is experienced by those who have chronic back pain.  This kind of pain is long lasting, and difficult to pinpoint.  Yet, once diagnosed, there are certain things that can be done to provide relief for chronic back pain.

There are many different types of back pains and we will be discussing a lot of them at this site. It can become very possible that when you have a minor fall or maybe you have some other type of injury, it is possible for you to develop some type of ligament strain or muscle pull. When this happens there is a good chance of you having some type of lower back pain.

One amazing statistic that some studies have shown is that is back pain is not only a problem for adults. It has been shown that from 10% to 40% of middle school and high school kids will or have experienced a problem in their back such as lower back pain.

When you are suffering from a form of backpain you can find relief when you use a form of anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen. Another type of relief that you can try at the same time is to rest and ice the area that is affected. This should help you to relieve the pain over the following week.

The back can be a very complex part of the body to diagnose. It is made up of bone (spine), ligaments, tendons, muscle and a complex network of neurological parts.

If you have ever suffered from low back pain and even muscle fatigue, you know that this can be very difficult to handle. One of the real problems is when this pain occurs and there is no reason for it. You can suffer from some gradual onset or that sudden occurrence can be extremely debilitating.

Today, we have so much knowledge in the form of medical information and even with all of our medical advances, one thing is for sure is that we are still not sure what the real cause of lower and upper back pain is. Another thing that we still must remember is that lower back pain and muscle fatigue is not a diagnosis. What is really happening is you are seeing a symptom of a big underlying problem.

There are many different things that can cause you to feel pain in your back. There can be back pain when there is a problem with some other internal organs. Believe it or not, this can be one of the major causes and disability for anyone that is under the age of 45. Another interesting fact is that around 80% of all Americans can and will possibly suffer from a form of back pain at some time in there lives.

The thing that starts to become very obvious is that back pain is very common. Depending upon the duration of the pain, it can be classified into 3 categories, and they are:

• Chronic - this is going to last over 12 weeks
• Subacute - from 6 to 12 weeks
• Acute - from current to 6 weeks or less

• sciatica
• osteoarthritis
• herniated disc, ruptured disc, slipped disc
• nerve impingement, pinched nerve
• muscular problems
• spinal degeneration

An MRI scan is totally painless and is not going to have you get any needles or even dye. One of the most common tests behind an x-ray looking for any type of lumbar problems is the MRI scan. When looking at the low back, the MRI scan is one of the preferred ways to do it.

As you can see the MRI scan works extremely well for certain conditions. It provides specific and detailed images of the soft tissue of the spine. This is great if you are looking for a disc problem, like a degenerative disc disease or even isthmic spondylolisthesis. These scans can also be used when you want to eliminate tumors or maybe a spinal infection. MRI scans are also good for any type of nerve root problem that can be caused by a herniated disc or even spinal stenosis.

Sometimes when you are suffering from back pain, you may start to have muscle spasms. There are some different drugs that can help to relieve the pain and stop the spasms. One drug that is often prescribed is a muscle relaxant. You have to be careful when taking muscle relaxants. Don't take them for a long time because they have a propensity to cloud the mind. There has been discussion on the benefits of these drugs because of some of the side effects. Some of these are a dependency on the drug and the sedation effect.

Here are some other ways that you may find relief from back spasms:

• Tens unit
• Therapy
• Heat
• Gentle stretching
• Massage

There are times when muscle strains or pulled muscles can be the cause of some form of chronic back pain. Another form can be muscle imbalances. When you are suffering from this type of injury, the pain can remain with the person as long as the person continue to have the muscle imbalance.

Your doctor might ask you where your pain occurs.  Typically, chronic back pain occurs in the lower back, buttocks, and even down as far as the upper legs.  Another common assessment given during diagnosis is the ranking of pain on a scale of one to ten.  While the diagnosis process may be a pain, going through it just might get you an answer!

A Painful Process

By working with your doctor, you can nip chronic back pain in the bud sooner rather than later.  You should only have to live in pain for so long.

Back to the Top: Back Pain Home | Herniated Disc | Back Pain Relief