Tag: Physical Exertion

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.

An Overview Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS is the name given to a debilitating disorder characterized by conditions of extreme and lasting fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome is also commonly referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME. The name chronic fatigue can be somewhat confusing since chronic or persistent fatigue is also a symptom of several conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Fatigue is the feeling of exhaustion that results from exertion, lack of sleep and illnesses. However, ordinary fatigue is not extreme or persistent, and the patient generally gets better after getting some rest.

What is Chronic Fatigue?

Chronic fatigue happens when this sensation of extreme exhaustion and lack of energy persists for over six months. The exact cause of chronic fatigue is not known but it is believed that several factors play a role in its symptoms, such as stress, hormone levels and infection. Lack of sleep, insomnia and other sleep disturbances can also result to chronic fatigue. Other factors that contribute to the development of chronic fatigue are poor diet, lack of exercise and certain medications.

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases or NIAMS for a patient to be diagnosed as suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, he must be having severe chronic fatigue for six months or longer. At the same time, the patient should also have four or more of the following symptoms:

Impaired short-term memory and concentration

Prolonged general malaise after physical exertion of any kind

Muscle pain

Pain, swelling and redness in multiple joints

Severe headache

Tender lymph nodes

Recurring sore throat

Un-refreshing sleep

Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue

Diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome can be quite tricky since there are no physical signs that identify it. There are also no diagnostic laboratory tests that confirm chronic fatigue syndrome. A diagnosis of CFS is given if the symptoms recur for six consecutive months or more and there are no apparent explanations for the fatigue such as disease. However, it should be noted that there are other conditions that overlap and sometimes coexist with CFS and have similar symptoms.

A study of patients suffering from CFS revealed that only 38% of the patients were diagnosed solely with the syndrome. The rest had a diagnosis of a number of diseases such as fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity or both. Doctors are still unsure whether these conditions are direct causes or have common causes with CFS; or whether that have no relationship whatsoever with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Treatment and Medication

There is still no known cure for CFS so treatments are aimed at relieving the symptoms and improving the body’s functions. To achieve this, doctors usually recommend a combination of medications and non-drug therapies. Lifestyle changes, dietary restrictions, nutritional supplements are also recommended as an addition to drug therapy. Patients who suffer from CFS are also urged to have regular exercise to help reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue.
However, the doctor should carefully supervise physical activity as this can exacerbate the symptoms of chronic fatigue.

It is important that the patient discuss his/her symptoms with the doctor. It is also important that doctors know what other medications the patient is taking since some medications can exaggerate the symptoms of CFS. Recovery rates from chronic fatigue syndrome are varied.

In a 2005 review of published studies on CFS, it was revealed that improvement rates varied from 8% to 63% with 40% of the patients improving during follow-up.

Complementary And Alternative Medicine For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Controlling the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome is no longer restricted to changes in lifestyle, medications and behavioral therapies. There are in fact current treatment modalities that make use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Since many conventional treatments do not guarantee absolute success, alternative medicine, for most people, prove to be very attractive treatment options. Below are some of the most common complementary and alternative treatments used in relieving patients from the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Ginseng
In Asia, ginseng is a popular herbal treatment for fatigue as well as in increasing energy which is basically what patients of CFS need. It turns out, the claims around this ancient energy booster herb hold water even when tested through contemporary research. Based on the study conducted by the University of Iowa, ginseng is among the more reliable and effective herbs for CFS. An independent study conducted in California further proved that ginseng is a powerful herb for treating CFS.

Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)
In a pioneering study conducted among chronic fatigue patients, it was proven that Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, more commonly known as NADH, helps in providing extra energy for CFS patients.

Carnitine
Carnitine, a substance found in almost all living cells, has the main function of transporting fatty acids to the powerhouse or the mitochondria of cells. This substance, in a way, is instrumental in the production of cellular energy. Carnitine supplements are helpful to CFS patients since it is found out that among these people, Carnitine levels are very low which is linked to some types of pain, muscle fatigue and decreased tolerance to physical exertion. Supplementation, therefore, can help fix low Carnitine levels.

Carnitine supplements, in general, work well with patients of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However high dosage of these supplements may lead to side effects such as diarrhea, rashes, increased appetite and body odor.

Coenzyme Q10 or Co Q10
This is another compound that is found in the energy-producing organelle of the cells- the mitochondria. It is known to play roles in the production of ATP, a chemical compound which produces energy used during muscle contraction.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
DHEA is a type of hormone that is released by the adrenal glands. Small quantities of DHEA are also found in the testes and the ovaries where it is converted into testosterone and estrogen. This hormone plays a great deal in the regulation of sleep, moods and memory. Among patients of chronic fatigue syndrome, this hormone is found in abnormally lower levels. Supplements are therefore needed to normalize these levels. However there are downsides to using DHEA supplements.

Since this hormone is converted into testosterone and estrogen, conditions that are controlled by these hormones may be affected. It is therefore very important that DHEA supplements are used only with doctor’s prescription and supervision.

The substances discussed above are potentially helpful in relieving the symptoms of CFS, especially fatigue. However, it should be remembered that although these come from natural sources, the “natural” factor does not guarantee that the substance is safe. These substances can potentially interfere with other medications and may pose serious danger to the health of individuals who are taking them without sufficient professional assistance.

Having said that, there are other options that are outright safe such as breathing therapy, relaxation therapies, movement therapies, acupuncture and ayurdeva.