Tag: Nerve Roots

The Truth on Back Pain

Back pain is commonly felt but no one can be blamed for it. It is difficult to figure out and far more difficult to describe. Confusion often arises during diagnosis and patients almost always fail to understand what exactly is hurting and what causes the pain. In this article we will try to resolve some of the most common confusions that often arise as myths.

Contrary to what is popularly believed back pain is seldom related with the spinal chord. Nor does the spinal chord causes any back problems, unless damage is made directly on the spinal cord. This is when paralysis occurs. Otherwise, the chord has nothing to do with frequent back pain rather, the problem may be associated with nerve roots.

The spinal chord ends at the lumbar 1(L1). The spinal column is divided into several sections, the lumbar section comprise the lower back where weight is generally concentrated. Additionally, it is in the lumbar where nerve roots may be located, impairment or any condition that may lead to such is the proponent to pain but never the spinal chord. In any case, paralysis due to back pain is often impossible.

Back pain is believed to be a seldom case among individuals. In opposition, back pain afflicts around 80% of all people some time in their lives. Nobody escapes from this reality, it seems that back pain is a normal part of any stage of life. It will most likely appear during old age but there are people who have been suffering over the pain since time immemorial.

In America alone, back pain is reputed to be the leading cause of disability among individuals aged 45 and above. It is also known to be the second, if not the primary reason why people visit care clinics and stands third for the most frequent reason why people get surgical procedures and fifth for having hospitalized.

Moreover, there is no general rule as to who will be affected with back pain. It doesn’t imply that I you are healthy and do exercise regularly that you may not be susceptible with this form of ailment. In effect, people experience episodes of back pain regardless of the activity they engage into.

Having back doesn’t mean that there is an ongoing damage or degeneration on the lower back. Unlike with acute pain where the level of pain may be associated with the degree of damage on the affected part, chronic back pain doesn’t normally correlate with the level of damage.

There are other myths and beliefs that may be associated with back pain. Removal of such through responsible education can be very effective for people seeking with treatment and coping with their condition.

Facts on Lower Back Pain

In the United States, lower back pain is one of the leading causes of disability, which is supported by the statistics that in every 10 individual, eight may be showing signs of the condition.

Paradoxically, the extent of pain has nothing to do with the intensity of damage afflicted on the patient. Unlike with acute ailments and disease, chronic lower back pain is generally not associated with the height of damage accumulated. A large herniated disc may be relatively painless whereas muscle spasm due to back strain can be a reason for excruciating back pain.

The sponsors for lower back pain may be extremely complex. In most cases, people suffering from it cannot exactly point out the location of concentrated pain or what they exactly feel. This is due to the reason that there are a number of underlying structures located at the lower back that may cause the pain. Listed below are several parts of the spiral anatomy that may be the reasons for pain:

Irritation on the large nerve roots located at the low back that are connected to the arms and the legs.

Irritation in the smaller nerves in the lower back spine.

Strain at the erector spinae, also termed as the large lower back muscle.

Injury/ies on the joints, ligaments and bones.

Injury at the intervertebral disc.

There are cases however that the lower back pain is felt and suffered from yet there are no known anatomical cause or causes to relate the pain with. Though these types of lower back pain may not yet be fully recognized, immediate treatment must still be addressed. However, lower back pain may usually be associated with some general causes. An example of which is the muscle strain on the lower back or more specific diagnosable condition such as lumbar herniated disc or a degenerative disc disease.

Symptoms of lower back pain that are frequently related with surgical approaches:

Bladder incontinence or sudden bowel movement
Progressive weakening of the legs
Continuous low back pain or abdominal pain
Signs of fever and chills that are directly linked with lower back pain
Caner cases
Extreme weight loss
Recent case of trauma, especially when severe

Many people take lower back pain for granted, either by own choice or they are impeded by some irreversible reasons like insufficient and the likes. However, early diagnosis and treatment generally prevent people from experiencing more excruciating pains and higher treatment costs.

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.