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Back pain is a common problem, especially among the middle-aged and the elderly. It can become frustrating and debilitating for sufferers, as this might prevent them from performing their regular daily routines. Below are home-tips that have proven to alleviate back pain.
- Yoga: Numerous studies have shown that yoga is an adequate remedy for back pain. Yoga integrates specific postures which are beneficial for strengthening the muscles, ligament stretch, and returning the spine to its proper alignment. Yoga also incorporates exercise that helps to strengthen weak abdominal and pelvic muscles. The abdominal muscles improve posture by reducing the resistance on your back muscles. Stretching also promotes circulation to the muscles, joints, and Yoga is not recommended for people with severe back pain, but ideal for chronic backaches and occasional muscle soreness.
- Heat and Ice pack: Heat and cold therapy can be used to provide relief to back pain. Ice packs are used to relieve pain due to inflammation while heat pad may be used to alleviate pain caused by muscle soreness, tension, cramps or muscle spasm. It is best to experiment with both and see which one brings relief.
- Acupuncture is a famous Chinese traditional therapy that has shown success in treating and managing chronic back pains. This therapy involves inserting needles at certain pressure points on the body. By stimulating this pressure points with needles, the pain pathways are activated to release endorphins and enkephalins to bring pain relief.
- Simple exercise: Exercises like walking, stretching helps to strengthen your joints, bones, and It also helps to put the body in a straight and upright position.
- Therapeutic massages. Massages are short-term therapy for easing back pains. Massages help to soothe sores and loosen tensed back muscles.
- Over-the-counter medications: Anti-inflammatory drugs are the first drug of choice for people with back pains. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen work by inhibit chemical substances that are responsible for inflammation. The NSAIDs also have mild analgesic effects. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is also a commonly used over-the-counter drug but belongs to a different class. A muscle relaxant is also used only if NSAIDs are ineffective. Muscle relaxants help to relieve muscle spasms associated with acute injuries such as a back
- Swimming: Swimming as a form of Aqua therapy has been proven been proved by research to help alleviate lower back pain. Swimming strengthens the abdominal core muscles and stretches the ligaments of the back. Before you start to swim, consult your doctor first to determine the cause of your back pain.
- Epsom salt or magnesium sulfate: An Epsom bath is a common home remedy used to soothe back pain. The salt is dissolved in warm A towel soaked in the Epsom salt solution can also be applied directly to the back.
- Therapeutic mattresses: Poor mattresses can cause or exacerbate lower back pain. They cause the muscles of the back to become strained and reinforces terrible There are ideal mattresses explicitly designed for alleviating back pain.
- Quality sleep: People with pain find it difficult sleep. The pain keeps them awake at night and usually worsens their sleep. For people suffering from insomnia, your doctor might recommend anti-depressants for you.
Causes of Back Pain
Back pain is one of the causes of disability among old aged and people younger than 45 and can be attributed to so many causes
- Accidents and Back injuries: This is by far the most common cause of back pain for all age groups. Injuries can range from falls, muscle sprains, bone fractures, car accidents. Some injuries can lead to physical deformity, which makes back pains inevitable. In such case, surgery and physiotherapy are
- Herniated or slipped disc: Herniated disc can cause extreme pain in the lower back. It occurs when the spinal disk located between the vertebral bones pushes out through a tear in the ligament that holds them firmly together. The slipped disc compresses adjacent spinal nerves and causes excruciating pain. It usually affects the cervical and lumbar vertebra.
- Ankylosing spondylitis: Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune condition in which the ligaments and tendons that attach to the backbones become inflamed, causing the vertebra bones to fuse together and become rigid. The neck and hip bones can also be affected. This disease is characterized by back stiffness and severe back pain. There is a strong genetic or family link associated with ankylosing spondylitis.
- Spondylolisthesis refers to backward slipping of the vertebral bone at the end of the spinal cord. It is caused by fracture of the vertebral body
- Pregnancy: Back pain is a common complaint among pregnant women and degree of severity differs among women. During pregnancy, the body produces the hormone relaxin, which helps to soften and loosen the ligaments of the pelvic bones in preparation for This can affect the support the pelvis provides to the lower back bones, altering its dynamics. Also, the weight of the growing fetus adds additional load to the mothers back muscles.
- Scoliosis: Is defined as the longitudinal curvature of the backbone. The vertebral column assumes an S-shaped curvature
- Tumour and Cancer; Metastatic cancers are usually a cause of back pain. Most people only experience the pain in the advanced stage of cancer. The pain can be dull, sharp and always unilateral. Any cancer can cause back pain, but the common ones are kidney cancer, colon cancer, osteogenic sarcoma, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Other less common cause of back pains includes
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- Endometriosis; this condition is caused by a build-up of uterine contents (tissues, blood) outside the uterine cavity. This tissue can irritate pain fibers and present at the back.
- Renal calculus (kidney stones) and infections
- Ectopic pregnancy: When the growing fetus implants outside the uterus, it is known as an ectopic pregnancy. One of the symptoms associated is a lower back pain
- This is a disease that causes widespread pain in the muscles and bones of the body. There is usually no underlying cause and is also associated with symptoms such as depression, insomnia.
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References
Ikwugwalu, A. (2016). Low back pain: Multidisciplinary approach in low back pain assessment. Journal Of Pain & Relief, 05(05). doi: 10.4172/2167-0846.c1.011
Knee Pain and Back Pain Both Managed Inadequately—And for Similar Reasons. (2012). The Back Letter, 27(2), 17. doi: 10.1097/01.back.0000412353.66043.90
Merskey, H. (2006). The Neuropsychopharmacology of Neuropathic Pain. Pain Research And Management, 11(suppl a), 3A-4A. doi: 10.1155/2006/304543
Spangfort, E. (1987). The low back pain problem. Pain, 30, S111. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(87)91294-2
What Is the Overlap Among Chronic Back Pain, Widespread Pain, and Fibromyalgia?. (2003). The Back Letter, 18(10), 117. doi: 10.1097/00130561-200318100-00011