Back Pain - Symptoms and Treatment

Back pain in simple words is a nonspecific termenology used to explain pain below the cervical spine. There are several causes of back pain: mechanical causes, eg lumbar disc disorders; degenerative conditions, degenerative disc disease; inflammatory conditions etc. Back pain is very rarely a sign of a serious medical problem. It is however important that the treatable medical causes are identified early on. Almost every person have to go through back pain in his/her life. It may be easily cured by regular exercises and through various other measures.

Causes of Back Pain

1) Weight and stress of your body

2) Strained back muscles and ligaments

3) Muscle spasm or sudden awkward movement

4) Improper or heavy lifting

5) Herniated disk : occurs when a herniated disk impinges on the sciatic nerve

6) Spinal stenosis: occurs when the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots narrows due to arthritis and bone overgrowth

7) Spondylosis: occurs when there are degenerative changes in the spine that often come with aging

8) Spondylolisthesis: occurs when one vertebra in the spinal column slips forward over another

9) Cauda equina syndrome neurological problem

10) Cancer or infection in spine

Symptoms of Back Pain

List of common symptoms:

• Pain is worse while coughing or sneezing
• Pain or numbness travels down one or both legs
• Pain awakens you from sleep
• Difficulty while urination or have a bowel movement
• Pain is accompanied by loss of control of urination or bowel movements

Treatment of Back Pain

1) Diagnosis for your pain

2) Basic rest, ice or heat

3) Medication, exercise or physical therapy

4) Chiropractic treatment and acupuncture

5) Surgery.