Posts Tagged ‘herniated disc’
Every year, many Americans are faced with the problem of lower back pain. It is usually caused by some type of accident, whether recreational or work related, though sometimes back injuries can occur just by overdoing it for a few short hours. For some unknown reason, our bodies sometimes stop working. If this is true for you, then you may want to look at some other causes such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, menopause, or arthritis.
As we get older, the strength in our bones and our muscle flexibility will decrease. That’s just nature. In our skeletons, the amount of fluid and flexibility near our discs lessens, and therefore we cannot recover from daily activities the way we used to. A ruptured or herniated disc can be caused by something as simple as muscle pain from lifting something. A movement resulting in flattened nerve endings will usually become apparent with lower back pain indications.
Lower back pain can be caused by something as natural as deterioration of our muscles, nerves, and bones. In this way, your body can be compared to a machine. There are body parts that will need to be replaced or altered to be able to keep it running normally throughout the years. Fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, arthritis, viruses, being overweight, and built up scar tissue can all take a toll on our bodies, just as the most gigantic and powerful mountains can be made weaker due to erosion.
If you have lower back pain, you need to try and get up, as staying in bed is not the best thing to do. A study done in Finland in 1996 shows that people with back pain who performed their regular daily duties did better than those who stayed in bed. You can help your muscles and help to relieve the pain if you try Yoga. If you cannot move there are medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, ointments, antidepressants, and narcotic drugs that could possibly help you. Painkillers can be addictive, so make sure you take them only as a last resort!
Robert Covillien
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/when-your-lower-back-starts-to-hurt-755976.html
With low back pain being the number reason why millions of Americans miss work, you would think hospitals around the country would be more compassionate with people who suffer from chronic low back pain. Being a chronic pain sufferer myself who suffers from low back pain with a herniated disc, I know too well how ER doctors treat patients seeking help for some kind of relief. It seems as soon as you walk in and tell them the reason your here to see the doctor is for back pain, your immediately cast in a different light.
The ironic thing in today’s modern times, hospitals and ER doctors have available, and can look up information on patients that have on record tests such as, MRI’s, CT scans, or any other type of documentation to verify a diagnosis the patient is complaining of. With so many people falsely going to ER rooms complaining of back pain just to get medication, they should actually do a little research before they put you in that category of just seeking medication.
For instance, I waited 2 hours in the waiting room, after I got back to see the ER physician, I waited in the room for an additional hour just to hear the nurse tell me I need to go see my primary care physician about substance abuse. I was in shock. I could not believe they thought I was there seeking medications and not truly suffering from pain. When just recently I had two MRI’s taken at this same hospital showing indeed I do suffer from herniated discs, and other back problems as well. To add insult to injury, I received a bill the following week charging me for the visit. I wonder what did they do for me. What did they charge me for? The only thing they did in all reality is turn me away. So why do they charge me for turning me away in my time of need.
Unless your in a horrible car wreck, or your wheeled in by ambulance on a stretcher, going to the ER room for pain is a waste of time and money. Not only is it a waste of time and money, your humiliated by the whole ordeal. People who suffer from chronic pain are simply not believed. For whatever the reason may be, ER doctors do not want to treat people in pain. Chronic pain sufferers in America are discriminated again tremendously. Everyone who suffers from pain should write their congressman or senators. Something has to be done. Seems doctors are taken the war on drugs against the innocent, against the people who truly suffer from chronic daily pain. There is something wrong with this picture. America has the best healthcare in the world, but yet you cant get treated for something as simple as low back pain. I just pray for the millions of Americans who are in the same situation they that somehow will find a compassionate doctor who truly understands pain. Seems most doctors today are more interested in what’s best for them, and not the patient. Don’t they still take an oath to help the sick and hurting? Sometimes I wonder
Robert Gould
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/think-twice-about-going-to-the-emergency-room-for-back-pain-35107.html
Back pain is in general a common problem that every one faces. It is a vulnerable problem that a person of any age experiences. Children, Adults, Pregnant woman, or a person of old age can also face the back pain problem. There may be several factors behind your back pain problem as it is not restricted only to one particular reason. And so people needs to face loads of trouble during back pain to cure it. Your prime duty is to know the causes and take some preventive measures so that you need not feel the pain during backache.
There can be varied causes for back pain:
Lumbar Muscle Strain: Straining of muscles is the most common cause of low back pain. Chances are bright in this case that a patient may completely feel relieve from muscle strain.
Spondylolisthesis: In this case the adjacent vertebra becomes unbalanced and begins to ‘slip’ which causes back pain and if it still prolongs then back pain can turn to be a serious problem.
Osteoporosis: A patient needs to face this problem because of compression fracture of the vertebra. You may face orthopedic problem and much of uneasiness too. It also leads to feeble bones.
Ruptured Disc: It is also called as Herniated Disc which causes back pain. The treatment of herniated disc depends and differs on an individual’s condition and circumstances. It is incorrectly being called in general as “Slipped Disc”, affecting the spine, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion to bulge out. herniated discs are found in ? of adults older than 20.
Spinal Stenosis: This is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerve. In the aging population, when the spinal canal becomes too stiff then it can result into back pain. A patient suffering under this situation may even feel minor trauma causing irritation and nerve root impingement which indirectly results into back ache.
There are many of causes of back ache that can put you into serious health trouble. For acute back pain the underlying cause is meniscoid occlusion. You may get startled to know that the lower back pain causes also differ as per the person’s age. Some of the common causes of back pain for adults under age 50 include spinal disc, herniation and degenerative disc disease or isthmic spondylolisthesis. And for adults over age 50 include osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) and spinal stenosis, trauma, cancer, infection, fractures, and inflammatory disease.
Thus, to cure your back pain you need to practice exercises regularly. Collect information to know back pain causes and if the situation worsens then it is highly recommended to consult doctor for the betterment of your health.
Bella Mclaine
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/get-rid-from-back-pain-711776.html
Upper back pain is not as common as the lower back pain. But pain is pain. When the pain process starts, it is unbearable. The two common identified causes of upper back pain are:
1. Muscular irritation (also known as myofascial pain)
2. Joint dysfunction.
There can be many other causes- injury, accidents, upper disc displacement and many more.
There is a great deal of stability and less motion in the upper back, which is thoracic spine region. So, spinal disorders are not very common. Conditions like herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and spinal disability can cause upper back pain, but such cases are few. This being the case, it is difficult to identify the causes for the upper back pain, precisely. Even an MRI Scan or CT Scan will not be of much help. So, it is not easy for the doctor to find a surgical solution, if the pain persists for a long period.
Modern amenities are not without the accompanying problems. A poor posture over a period of time creates strain in a particular region and that region happens to be your upper back, in case you are a computer operator and work throughout the day in front of your PC. Neck pain and shoulder pain are the comrades -in arms -of the upper back pain.
Here are some more causes of upper back pain:
1. Lack of strength in the particular region.
2. Injuries and damage to the muscles of the region caused through repetitive motions i.e. working in a particular machine in a particular manner. Take for example, hand molding machines. On an average a person does 1500 hand-operated motions in a working schedule of 8 hours.
3. Muscle strains and sports injuries.
Here again. You have to understand your back pain. With the nature of your work known to you, identify the area of your upper back, which is mostly strained. Do such yoga asanas, which help to ease the stress in that area. Do regular oil massage. If this is done in a systematic manner, there would not be any cause for the upper back pain to happen.
Because upper back is a big area, and also ‘muscle junction’, you have to adapt to a system of doing several stretching and strengthening exercises.
If you get the upper back pain, do not panic. Avoid hard medications and painkillers at any cost. Even best of the hospitals, the renowned specialists, have understood the virtue of physio-therapy. Follow it now, for your suffering is due to your past failings and negligence!
Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/upper-back-pain-59683.html
During a recent bout of severe lower back pain, my physiotherapist put me on a course of back exercises to alleviate my back pain.
I have to say that I was somewhat surprised given that I was in so much pain, but it actually worked and helped me recover quickly.
The theory behind stretching your back – even when you have a sore lower back – is that by extending the back muscles, you give relief to your back by taking pressure off the affected areas.
If you suffer form a herniated disc, your physio may have you do back exercises for disc problems because it will relieve the pressure caused by the herniated disc on the spinal nerves.
The back exercise I found most helpful was “the cat”. In this exercise, you get down on your hands and knees and arch your back up for a few seconds just like a cat. When you do this, you can feel the stretch in your lower back muscles.
Depending on how much pain you are in, your physio may recommend doing back exercises several times during the day. Don’t overdo things though. The last thing you want is to re-injure yourself.
One of the most popular lower back exercise programs is the McKenzie back exercises. Robin McKenzie is a famous physiotherapist from New Zealand whose techniques have been practiced for many years.
McKenzie believes that people suffer from back pain as a result of poor posture or bending incorrectly when lifting. The book advocates a series of back exercises including many safe lower back exercises which help make the back more flexible by extending the spine and improve your posture. (Note: talk with a doctor or physiotherapist before using this approach.)
One of the most popular items for back exercises is a Swiss ball, also known as an exercise ball or a fitness ball. Low back exercises with a Swiss ball really give you a good stretch.
A word of caution though. When you first start using a Swiss ball, take it easy. I slid off it a few times and if I’d had a sore back, this could have been painful. But when you do low back exercises on a Swiss ball, you are going to love the feeling that the stretch gives you.
If you like swimming or being in a pool, look into exercise programs that involve back exercises in a pool. You will find them at your local YMCA or swimming pool.
What’s good about doing back exercise in the pool is that the water takes the pressure off your back giving you more freedom to move and stretch your back.
At first it seems odd to be doing exercises when your lower back is sore, but I’ve learned that depending on your situation, it can be one of the best things you can do to get on the road to recovery.
Frank Thornton
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/how-to-get-rid-of-lower-back-pain-121511.html


