Tag: lower back pain

Common Lower Back Pain Treatments

Like with a number of things, beginning with lower back pain treatment has to start somewhere. It must start with a number of basic steps.

Foremost, you have to be diagnosed of a certain condition and be sure that you have discussed with your doctor the lower back pain treatment that is appropriate with your case.

However, lower back pain may often be undiagnosable and many are caused by certain complications that are too hard to recognize even for experts on the field. For some cases on the other hand, symptoms are evident due to anatomical abnormalities and usually require immediate treatments.

For the more common lower back pain, treatment may start with the following routines:

Rest
It is important to rest the spine when beginning the treatment yet it is equally important to note that rest must only comprise of a day or two. Other than this, resting may be more damaging than good as too much rest may lessen muscle strength. This may also lead to persistent lower back pain. After the symptoms subside, avoid too much physical exertion and activities.

Due to the nature of muscle strain, it is best to avoid irritation on the affected part especially on the spine and the muscles that surround this area.

Anti-Inflammatory Medications or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Medications that are covered by NSAIDs are often used in treating inflammation associated with lower back pain and other pains. These medications may both be prescribed or may be bought over the counter.

Heat Application
This procedure may help ease discomforts caused by muscle spasm that trigger lower back pain. Methods using heat may include hot water, hot bottles, hot bath and heating pads.

Exercise
This probably is the most essential step in lower back pain treatment. This increases muscle strength and flexibility. Once muscle strength is increased, weight may be better distributed and less force will burden the spine.

Narcotic Pain Medications
Narcotic medications may be both addictive and dangerous but they are rather effective against pain. It is important that the person using narcotic pain medications is under strict supervision.

Muscle Relaxers
Muscle relaxing medications may be very effective in treating the symptoms of back pain through relieving muscle spasm. Among these are trade names such as Flerexil, Valium, and Soma.

Physical Therapy
The focus of physical therapies is the exercises concerned on the back, naturally enough. Yet, if symptoms did no subside using this method, there are other forms of treatments that may be employed such as ultrasound, yoga and aquatherapy.

All these methods of treatments may be used separately or may be combined with other modalities to induce immediate body response.

Common Causes of Lower Back Pain

A large portion of the American population experiences mild to severe back pain over their lifetime. The tendency of experiencing lower back pain may increase with age, the majority of sufferers are aged 60 and above. This pain would not only end at the lower back but may spread itself over to the larger part of the spine and down to the buttocks and legs. No wonder, lower back pain is often accompanied with neck and leg pain.

The most typical cause of lower back pain is work-associated. This often goes a long way with the compensation of the worker since the efficiency of works may be impeded. Based on the information stated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, lower back pain causes more damage on employees as compared with any other physical disorders.

Lower back pain is more often focused on the lumbar section of the spine and appears in two forms: acute and chronic.

The acute form of pain occurs more quickly and is more intense as compared with the chronic pain. It lasts for several hours and is often associated with improper body postures and stances and too much physical exertion.

The chronic pain on the other hand often appears in a series of attacks with varying level of pain and severity. There is no telling what would trigger the attack and it shows no indications of ceasing.

Often, the cause of lower back pain is impairment on the lumbar section of the spine. This portion carries most of the body weight; therefore as the framework of the back, the lumbar needs to be a lot more stable and healthier. It is also where to much activity is enforced.

The back bone is comprised of complex system of ligaments, bones, tissues and muscles. When the majority of these parts are misused, the whole system may fail. Ligaments may strain, the disks may be herniated, and the muscles may be stressed, often these injuries may be the cause of severe lower back pain. Along with these issues, matters like psychological wellness, arthritis, obesity, and bad posture may be pointed as the root cause of back pain.

Though these are the general causes, there may be instances for which the cause of the pain may never be determined. Or there applies no condition for which to relate the problem. With this, the best option one may have is to get an x-ray, but even that doesn’t always guarantee the efficiency of diagnosis.

Causes of Upper Back Pain

It is uncommon to hear someone complaining of upper back pain as compared for the numberless people who seek medical help due to excruciating lower back pain. This may be due to the fact that the lower back is much more susceptible to injuries and muscle strain rather than the more protected upper back. However, this still does not negate the fact that every year millions of patients are diagnosed of upper back pain.

What causes upper back pain is still an argument until these days. Not that the medical community is divided into what should be believed in but because there are too many and complicated reasons underlying a simple upper back pain. Often the physician finds no abnormalities concerning anatomy so he deems the pain only as psychological. As such diagnosis is not thoroughly taken and neither the cause nor the symptoms are identified.

The pain is usually felt on the upper back between the shoulder blades. Though the pain felt in this location, the actual anatomical cause may probably be situated somewhere else. Or they may be no actual anatomical cause only defaults on the trigger points. The trigger points re normally located nearest to the muscles covering the bones. This is why patients don’t normally recognize the exact sites of pain and consequently feel them on another site. This case is normal and is known as referred pain.

The most common cause of upper back pain is postural problems. The upper body needs to be properly associated with the lower section of the body. And the components of the upper body themselves must have precise coordination. This can be achieved by placing the parts on their normal positions using proper postures. With this, not only the overall posture is severely affected but also the state of each component, especially the framework.

With improper posture often arises the problem of herniated or degenerated discs. Some may also experience displaced discs. With this, pressure may be put on the nerve roots since bulging may occur. This will result to agonizing pain and may last for a number of months.

The majority of people undergoing pain in the upper back due to displaced discs are women and office workers. For obvious reasons, females are more susceptible to this cause as compared with the male population, recent studies support the statistics that the number of upper back pin causes is more prevalent in females in as much as four times than that of male.

The causes of upper back pain vary from person to person and sometimes even gender to gender. However, the underlying truth still remains to be the same- the actual cause or causes are often not diagnosed properly due to the nature of the ailment itself.

Acupressure more effective than physical therapy

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
Acupressure more effective than physical therapy

Word Count:
489

Summary:
Those of us committed to the holistic approach have long been convinced of the benefits of alternative therapy. Recent studies suggest and confirm a bias towards this hands on approach.

Keywords:
acupressure, acupressure point, acupressure chart, acupressure point chart, facial acupressure, acupuncture acupressure, acupressure point diagram, acupressure therapy, acupressure headache, free acupressure point, acupressure meridians, shaft acupressure, acupressure chinese location, acupressure foot,

Article Body:
We all know Acupressure has been around for some 5, 000 years now and those of us involved in Holistic and wellness remain convinced that the procedures encompassed within this sphere are more efficacious than physical therapy. Every living being has a life force, or energy, called qi or chi ( pronounced ” chee ” ). When this energy, which runs along meridians, is in balance and flowing freely, the body is in a state of health. Acupoints tap relevance the the major rush pathways of the body

When this energy is blocked or decrepit, illness can result. These energy disruptions are often the result of stress or injury. It is believed that acupressure causes the brain to release endorphins. Endorphins play an important role in immune function, pain boost, stress reduction, besides slowing the aging process.

Lower back pain has long been the bain of the modern world not only in lost man hours but also since of the lousy with side effects, complications and nuances of lower back pain complaints. Supplementary studies now arrange the benefits of acupressure over physical therapy. Albeit that the studies failed to take into account functional status besides disability as recommended by

most low back rack researchers the results are still very meaningful and relevant. In February 2006 a randomized controlled trial took place at The National Taiwan University in Taipei.

129 patients with chronic low back pain published acupressure or physical therapy for 1 month. Primary endpoints were self – administered Chinese versions of standard outcome measures for low pack pain ( Roland and Morris disability questionnaire ) at baseline, after treatment, and at 6 – month follow – up. After treatment, the mean total Roland and Morris disability questionnaire score was significantly lower in the acupressure company than in the physical therapy group regardless of the difference in absolute score or mean change from baseline.

Compared dissemble physical therapy, acupressure was associated with an 89 % reduction in significant disability and that improvement was maintained at 6 – month follow – up. Study limitations include a confounding psychological effect of therapy; loss of 15. 5 % of patients to pursue – up at 6 months and effectiveness of any bridle therapy dependent on the therapist’s technique and experience.

Participants were aged 18 to 81 years. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy and contraindication to acupressure. 64 patients were randomized to acupressure and 65 to rightful therapy. Conclusive or inconclusive the results still point towards the undeniable and positive aspects of acupressure and holistic healing.

On a more lighter hobby Acupressure has also been cited for a unaccustomed aid for bum students. 39 student volunteers inaugurate that those who were taught to self – administer acupressure to stimulation points on their legs, feet, hands and heads were less likely to drowse during class. The acupressure consisted of light tapping of fingers or using thumbs or forefingers to lightly massage the stimulation points. It was conceded that more study is needed fame relation to acupressure and the effect on human alertness.

Looking further into the positives might this self administered acupressure also be a consideration for progeny cover ADHD contra Ritalin!

When word gets around about your command of alternative medicine facts, others who need to know about alternative medicine will start to actively seek you out.