Back Pain: Causes, treatment and prevention
December 10th 2007 -
Back pain has remained on of the major issues with so many people around. It is reported that 17 million Britons suffer from back pain. It is one of the factors affecting the quality of life. It is has an immense cost since those who suffer from back pain tend to miss the workdays. This article is an attempt to understand this clinical condition.
Behind the scene
Pain is considered as a symptom not disease it can have many causes. In order to understand the back pain, we need to understand the anatomy of the related structures. In back, the major structure is spine; the spine is made of for small bones called Vertebrae, a total of 33 vertebrae are present in spine arranged together with disc in between that helps in prevention of the friction between these bones. It is a very delicate and complex structure. The spine has many other structures associated and it is supported by an array of muscles and ligaments. Many nerves are also attached that are responsible for efferent and afferent signals from brain to body and back.
Causes of back pain
As I mention earlier the spine is delicate and complex structure, it leaves the spine very sensitive to physical insults. It is very difficult to say that what causes the back pain but in most of the cases, the high level of physical activity resulting in spasm, strain and any such trauma can trigger this painful state. Apart from this inflammation of the joints commonly known as arthritis, disc prolapse and other degenerative disease of spine stay as the major cause but such conditions are relatively rare. The physical trauma is considered the prime cause.
Factors responsible for this condition
It is an established fact that the back pain is on its all time rise, the main factors responsible for this surge is life style these days. It is a reality by now proven on the basis of scientific data that the current inactive life style of the individuals is the culprit since comparatively; the problem of back pain is less common in countries like Pakistan and India where people are more active in their day to day lives.
Treatment
In most of the cases, the treatment stays with physiotherapy. In case of the back pain, the primary concern is pain
Prevention
In case of the back pain, one can minimize the chances of occurrence by regular exercises and activity that can bring strength to the muscles of the back. It is further suggested by the physiotherapists that maintaining the proper posture in day to day activities like lifting objects from ground, carrying weight, sitting and walking can help a lot.