Your stabbing back pain will never kill you mortally yet will torture you for a period of time that may seem worse than death. It is next only to common cold in the number of people getting affected and nine out of ten people have back pain some time in their life. Unlike common cold which creates slight discomfort, Back Pain can be mild to chronic with excruciating pain and suffering and may make a person immobile for a short or long period of time.
Meaning
Back Pain is the sudden involuntary shooting pain felt by a person in the lower back of the body usually in the area around the lower spinal chord and the tail bone. The pain normally originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or any other structure surrounding the spine. The spine is made up of many bones called vertebrae. These vertebrae are like a disc as it is almost rounded in shape. Again, these discs are made up of rubber like strong tissue such that they can be bent with slight flexibility by the voluntary movement of the muscles of the body. Besides, there are strong ligaments that support the spine and give it the needed strength to support the weight of the human body. Yet within this complex arrangement the body at times is unable to respond to the exertion caused on it and gives off shooting pain that may radiate to different parts of the body like the neck, upper back, lower back, thighs and legs.
Causes
There may be several causes for back pain to incur on a human body. They may arise out of sports injury, heavy exertion by lifting weights or doing unusually hard physical work or by remaining in a sedentary position for along while at home or at ones work place. Even bad habits like the incorrect use of chair or furniture for sitting or sleeping, long rides in motor vehicles or excessive use of undulating surfaces for sitting and sleeping and continued use of spongy surfaces, exposure to cold or heat or injury resulting out of a fall, fight or thwarting an attack. Apart from these back pain may occur due to natural deformities in the bone structure, degeneration of the disc, weak muscles or lack of balanced diet and excessive weight of the body.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of Back Pain is a sudden shooting or stabbing pain that makes a person with a feeling of temporary distress and helplessness. This may again be for short or for a longer duration of time. They are sometimes so severe that they may cause limited mobility or an inability to stand straight. They may stretch from a few days to several weeks and can appear intermittently or continuously. Chronic pain is that pain that is seen to persist in a human for more than three months. Many are at times found to be progressive too.
Diagnosis
The most important form of diagnosis of the back pain is by accessing the degree of uncomfortable ness the patients themselves express and the nature of their pain. In case the pain doesn’t decrease significantly after 72 hours of self medication, then one had better consult a doctor immediately. In order to ascertain the bone discs, fractures if any and for getting the general view of the areas where the symptoms are said to originate clinical tests including X-Rays are carried out.
Treatment
Most back pains can be treated without surgery. The general treatment involves medication to the patient like administering pain relievers for reducing discomfort. Anti inflammatory drugs are used to reduce inflammation. In contrast what has previously been done, the patients are not allowed to rest permanently. Rather they are asked to do mild forms of exercise or remain active. In case of displaced disc or complexities arising out of tangled nerves surgery is undertaken.
Research on Back Pain is continuing as there are several causes not yet unearthed by the medical authorities.
