Archive for February 2010
Is Your Weight Hurting Your Back ?
There are two problems that are very common and they tend to go hand in hand with each other. The first is that we tend to be overweight and it can be difficult to get that weight off whenever we are carrying it. Therefore, we tend to be overweight for long periods of time and our body suffers as a result.
Another problem that we have is back pain and you would probably be surprised with the number of people that experience pain in the backs on a regular basis. The simple fact of the matter is, these two things are connected more often than not.
The reason why carrying around additional weight is bad for your back is because the spine supports your body and if it has to support extra weight, it compensates by bending or compressing. You may also have a problem where your hips shift forward in order to compensate for extra weight that you are carrying around and this can put pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Imagine picking up a box that weigh 20 pounds and carrying it around with you all day long. Even though it may seem light at first, eventually it would be too heavy for you handle. Now imagine the extra weight that your body is carrying every day and it is little wonder that your back is sore.
In order for you to overcome this problem you need to take off some of the weight that you have been carrying around. There are a number of different ways for you to do this but you want to make sure that you lose the weight in a way that it is going to be permanent. The easiest way for you to do this is by adding things to your diet, not taking them away. For example, every time you sit down for a meal add a glass of water and some raw fruits and vegetables. This will not replace your meal but it will keep you from eating so much at one sitting.
You should also make sure that you are getting some exercise, paying particular attention to your core muscles as these will help your back in a number of different ways. By combining diet and exercise and adopting a healthy way of life you can overcome back problems once and for all.
Joe Golson
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/is-your-weight-hurting-your-back–752030.html
Dealing With Lower Back Pain
Four out of every five adult Americans will experience lower back pain at one time in their lives. Sometimes it’s a mild strain or sprain that goes away after a couple of days. Other times, lower back pain lasts for weeks or months.
Ironically, a simple muscle spasm can cause more pain than a herniated disk. In fact, despite the fear of herniated disks, they are the cause of only four percent of back pain cases in the USA each year.
Looking at the causes of lower back pain
1. Muscle strains from activities including heavy lifting, sports activities, whiplash from a car accident, or twisting.
2. Herniated disk (slipped dieck) resulting in the disk pressing a spinal nerve.
3. Spondylosis, also known as spinal osteoarthritis, is a degenerative disease often found in the elderly. Osteoarthritis results from the breakdown of cartilage in the facet bones of the spine. With no cartilage, stiffness and occurs.
4. Spinal stenosis which is the narrowing of an area of the spine. If a nerve is affected by the narrowing, then pain may occur. Spinal stenosis can ofthen be brought on when walking. Regardless of the symptom, the best plan is to avoid the activity that rings on the pain.
Treating lower back pain
1. Lower back muscle strains: Get ice on the back as soon as possible. Ice your lower back 5 – 6 times per day for 10 -1 5 minutes. Do this for the first 48 hours. If you are not feeling any better, go and see your physician, but usually for a strain, the pain will begin to subside albeit possibly slowly.
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen is often recommended by doctors. Call your advice nurse or go and visit your doctor to see what dosage should be taken.
2. Herniated discs: most people recover from herniated discs within a couple of months. At first your doctor will likely treat a herniated disc similarly to a muscle strain in that icing and anti-inflammatory drugs may be involved. In the unlikely event that this dies not solve it, surgery may be an alternative.
3. Osteoarthritis: although this is a degenerative condition, it sounds a lot worse than it is. Treatment may include anti-inflammatory medicine, muscle relaxants, together with exercises to help support the spine. In 75% of cases, this approach will succeed.
4. Spinal stenosis: initially treatment may focus on removing the source of the pain, be that walking, running, etc. Ultimately, surgery may be necessary, and the success rate is high resulting in an increase in mobility and activity level.
Frank Thornton
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/dealing-with-lower-back-pain-119605.html
My Aching Back!
You’ve probably heard, or uttered, those words. Doctors hear them often. Back pain is one of the most common complaints in medical practice.
Causes of Neck and Back Pain
What would cause a sharp searing pain on my right back side? What causes upper back shoulder pain and neck pain? What causes neck and back pain?
These are but a few of the questions asked by millions who suffer back pain each year – about 6 million in the U.S. alone. An estimated 80% of us will experience back pain sometime in our lives. It may occur by itself, or be accompanied by other symptoms such as fever and chills.
The causes of back pain are many, making diagnosis difficult and critical. We recommend that you see your doctor for all back pain. Most causes of back pain involve no serious underlying problem, and the pain can be relieved in a few days or weeks. If the causes of back pain you experience involve other symptoms, the tips offered here are not to be followed without medical advice.
Causes of Back Pain in the Lower Back
Low back pain affects the lower part of your back – between the bottom of your ribs in back down to the top of your legs.
Doctors break down low back pain into three categories according to how long you have had it:
1. Acute Low Back Pain – you have had it less than 6 weeks
2. Sub-acute Low Back Pain – you have had it 6 to 12 weeks
3. Chronic Low Back Pain – you have had it longer than 3 months
Causes of back pain in the lower back are most often linked to strain of back muscles, ligaments, or tendons. Sometimes the cushion between the bones is strained. Sometimes you will know the exact causes of back pain in your lower back. Other times, it may hit without warning.
Causes of back pain in the lower back include:
* past injuries that are not fully healed
* incorrect lifting techniques
* incorrect posture
* little exercise
* vehicular accidents
* improper setup of your work area
* long hours at a desk
* long hours by the TV
* obesity
* pregnancy
Causes of Back Pain in the Mid Back
The causes of back pain in the mid back usually fall into the category of irritation or injury to muscles and ligaments of your middle spine – the area along the backs of your ribs.
Some or all of the following may be causes of back pain in your mid back:
* past injuries that are not fully healed
* incorrect lifting techniques
* incorrect posture
* little exercise
* vehicular accidents
* improper setup of your work area
* long hours at a desk
* long hours by the TV
* obesity
* pregnancy
Causes of Back Pain in the Upper Back and Neck
Some people refer to this as upper back shoulder pain and neck pain. This pain is felt in the area between the back of your chest and the base of your skull.
Causes of back pain in your upper back, unrelated to the shoulders and neck, are usually muscular irritation and joint dysfunction.
Shoulder and neck pain are more common than pain in the center of your upper back. Your neck supports your head. Made of seven, stacked vertebrae bones that are cushioned by cartilage discs bound together with ligaments, your neck is very mobile. Muscles provide movement and support to your neck.
Your neck is more susceptible to injury than the rest of your upper back. Trauma, poor posture, and degenerative diseases such as arthritis, are the most common causes of back pain in the neck area. Whiplash is another cause of back pain in the neck.
If you were a vehicle passenger involved in a rear end collision, you may have suffered whiplash injury to your neck. The impact of the collision would force your head back and then forward at a great speed. This would stretch your neck and upper back too much and too quickly, resulting in a strain or tear to supporting ligaments, muscles and discs. It could even irritate your upper back nerves.
Your shoulder is a ball and socket joint that offers a large range of movement. Like your neck, this mobile joint tends to be more susceptible to injury. Your shoulder joints depend on shoulder muscles to keep them stable. Causes of back pain in the shoulder area usually involve these muscles.
Incorrect posture can cause both neck and shoulder pain.
* Standing with your shoulders slouching, chin jutting forward, can put extra strain on your ligaments and muscles.
* Sitting with your head down for long periods of time as you work at a desk or read can exert similar strain.
* Slumping in your seat is another cause of shoulder and neck pain.
* If you tend to sleep on your stomach, your sleeping posture could be the cause of back pain.
Other Causes of Back Pain
As shown above, causes of back pain are most often linked to strain of back muscles, ligaments, or tendons. There are many conditions other than strain, however, that can cause back pain. Below is a partial list:
* Arthritis – causing joint inflammation
* Herniated disc – irritating nearby nerves
* Spinal stenosis – spinal canal narrowing that compresses nerves
* Spondylolisthesis – slipped vertebrae resulting in pinched nerves
* Vertebral fractures – resulting from trauma or osteoporosis
* Degenerative disc disease – aging process that breaks down discs
Whatever the causes of back pain, the most effective prevention is to overcome incorrect posture and incorrect lifting techniques.
Anna Hart
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/my-aching-back-108372.html
Back Pain Through Overweight – Are You Affected?
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming overweight. The main reasons for being overweight are a low energy expenditure and – first and foremost -wrong eating habits. According to the American Obesity Association (AOA) 64.5% of all adult Americans (about 127 million people) are categorized as being overweight or obese. In many other developed countries the figures are similarly alarming. Overweight and obesity are about to turn into a global epidemic. To carry about extra weight with oneself can result in several serious health issues, such as back pain through overweight.
Most people are aware of the more commonly known causes for overweight, such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer. The majority of people, however, is not fully conscious of the health risk posed by back pain through overweight. Overweight contributes to different symptoms – the most common symptoms are osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease. If you are overweight and suffer from back pain you shouldn’t take your problem lightly. The first instance of back pain can be considered as acute or short-term pain. After about 2 month the complaint is becoming chronic and usually much more difficult to treat than acute pain.
Fortunately, compared to some more complicated causes of back pain, back pain through overweight is easy to identify. Even experienced sports physicians and doctors find it hard to exactly identify some causes of back pain, because the reasons can be of a very complex nature. However, if you are overweight you know the reason for your back pains. Your spine has the function to carry your body’s weight and to balance your body. When your spine is forced to carry a lot of weight, this can lead to structural compromise, poor posture and even severe damages. Back pain through overweight can easily lead to chronic complaints and you should take immediate action in order to get rid of your extra pounds.
The lower back is most susceptible to the effects of overweight. lower back pain through overweight is caused by problems relating to your lumbar spine. Apart from overweight, back pain is also caused by an insufficient amount of exercises for your back and your pelvis base as well as by a sedentary resulting in a poor flexibility and weak muscles in your lower back. This leads to your lower back being increasingly curved because the pelvis shifts slightly forward. The result is chronic lower back pain, and if you want to solve your problem you have to lose your extra pounds. Back pain through overweight is definitely curable by keeping a healthy and balanced diet.
The most important factor when it comes to weight loss is to permanently integrate some significant changes into your eating habits. If you change some important key factors on a permanent basis you won’t fall into the yo-yo effect trap. Combined with some physical activity you will be able to lose weight once and for all. And by losing weight you will not only get rid of back pain through overweight, but you will also be able to prevent some serious health issues, such as coronary heart disease and colon cancer.
Oliver Hetzel
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/back-pain-through-overweight-are-you-affected-723899.html
Back Injuries Treatment and Prevention
Back injuries can cause pain and limit your movement when one commits a twisting or lifting mistake an incorrect lifting methods posture and fractures often from osteoporosis or major accidents in the spine. Common back injuries include Sprains and strains, Herniated disks, ractured vertebrae. The most common of all symptoms of having a back injury is back pain. First attack of low back pain typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 40. The Back pain becomes more common with age.
Lower back injury is also known as the “low back strain.” Like the common back injury, this also occurs when the muscle fibers are abnormally stretched or torn. Some of the most common symptoms of low back injury are pain around the low back and upper buttocks, pow back muscle spasm, and pain associated with activities and generally relieved with rest. Acute pain is the most common type of back pain and should last no longer than 6 weeks and Chronic pain, on the other hand, may come on either quickly or slowly, and it lingers a long time. In general, pain that lasts more than 3 months is considered chronic. Chronic pain is much less common.
According to Dr. Bracko, back pains are commonly caused by the the following factors: Lack of sleep/fatigue, Emotional instability, Family problems, Substance abuse, Lack of physical activity/too much physical activity, Poor muscle endurance and poor trunk muscle stabilization, and Excessive weight. Most low back pain can be treated without surgery the use of cold and hot compresses, Bed rest, Exercise and Medications. If back pain does not respond to more conventional approaches, patients may consider the following options. Biofeedback, Acupuncture, Interventional therapy, Ultrasound, Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
There are three key components in back injury prevention; these are Posture, Conditioning, and proper Body mechanics. To properly follow the “posture” component, you simply have to trash your habit of slouching. According to Dr. Braza, to be able to achieve proper posture, you should make it a habit to sit in an upright position. Back injuries can also be caused by poor cardiovascular health, so simple activities like walking, swimming, bicycling can largely help. The last component, body mechanics, is all about how we use our body. To properly follow this, it is important for you to note how you use your back whenever you lift, bend and stretch.
For more information about Back Injuries Treatment And Prevention visit the website, http://backinjuries.eu
Jizmack Baraceros
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/back-injuries-treatment-and-prevention-687043.html
