Low Back Pain Ought To Be Checked Out

Sometimes people wrongly think that certain physical ailments are only attributed to aging or only afflict older people. When it comes to back pain, they couldn’t be more wrong. While low back pain definitely afflicts the elderly and aging, it can also affect a healthy adult or even a teenager or child.

The back is made up of many parts. The centre piece structure that holds the back in place is the spinal column, which also has the task of protecting the spinal cord and the multitude of nerves and nervous pathways that go up and down the torso. The spine itself is made up of vertebrae, and each vertebrae is separated from its neighbours above and below by round pads of cartilage called discs. Ligaments and tendons hold the vertebrae in place and attach the muscles of the back to the spinal column. The vertebrae are divided up into parts called the cervical or neck vertebrae, the thoracic or upper torso vertebrae, the lumbar vertebra or lower back area, and the root of the spine where the tailbone is located. Low back pain occurs in the lumbar part of the spine.

The length of time someone experiences low back pain is part of how it is diagnosed to be either acute or chronic. Acute back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks, at the most a month or two. Chronic back pain, however, is back pain that lasts longer than three months.

Posture itself can affect the spine, but so can other things. Obesity, unusual weight gain during pregnancy, or a poorly maintained physical condition can also contribute to the causes of back pain. Losing weight and living a healthy life can help improve the back’s health a great deal.

There are other conditions that cause low back pain, and many of these include trauma to the back. Car accidents that jar the body and whip the torso around can hurt the back. So too can overstretching of the back or attempts to carry something too heavy. These types of trauma can make the discs in the spinal column bulge outward, as well as irritating the nerves involved in the back itself. Back trauma can also result in muscle irritation and bone lesions. On their own, these can be difficult to deal with but they may heal. Untreated, they can develop into much more severe conditions.

Sciatica can often be a result of untreated low back pain. This condition is caused when herniated or ruptured discs in the spine press down on the sciatic nerve that runs down the spinal column to the pelvis. People with sciatica experience shock like or burning pain in their back that shoots through the buttocks and down a leg, often traveling to below the knee.

Having low back pain is one of the most common of all job related disabilities and missed time at work. The back aches severely, and sufferers experience shooting and stabbing pains. People may not be able to stand up straight, or may not be able to bend. Both men and women are afflicted equally by back pain, and every year Americans spend approximately fifty billion dollars in back pain treatments. Back pain and trauma can be caused by age afflictions like osteoporosis but even housework, gardening and improper lifting of heavy objects can be the cause. Even teenagers can suffer back pain from heavy backpacks, poor sleeping habits and bad posture.

Whether back pain is a result of trauma or just seems to happen, any kind of low back pain that persists longer than a few days should be treated by a doctor. Back pain that doesn’t heal on its own could become something more serious. Visit a doctor if you have any questions, to avoid an improper diagnosis of something more severe.

Normally people wrongly think that certain physical ailments are only attributed to aging or only afflict older people. When it comes to back pain NYC, they couldn’t be more wrong. More info on the best Back pain doctor NYC, now a click away!