Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of job-related disability and why some people miss work. It is also the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, second only to headache.
In fact, approximately 80% of adults in Western countries have, at some point, experienced lower back pain.
For some fortunate people, pain in the lower back may be resolved by itself or with the aid of medication within two to four weeks. However, there are some cases of lower back pain that may last for more than a few weeks, during which case the condition is termed as "chronic" and "progressive," meaning it can only grow worse over time.
Moreover, 60-80% of those patients who suffer their first episode of lower back pain may experience recurring pain within one year.
According to current research, there are certain muscles in the back that work to stabilize the spine. When the spine or the back suffers an injury, these muscles are reflexively inhibited or shutdown. Worse still, these muscles do not spontaneously recover, and this is true even if patients do not feel pain and are able to return to normal activity levels.
As a result of the inhibition of these muscles, called lumbar multifidi and the transversus abdominus, lower back pain occurs. However, there are steps you can take to prevent the same thing from happening to you.
Lower Back Pain and Physical Therapy.
One way to prevent the inhibition of the lumbar multifidi and transversus abdominus is through a series of physical therapy exercises.
Designed to strengthen the muscles of the lower back and keep the spine healthy, these physical therapy exercises may range from back stabilization exercises to muscle strength development and several wide variety of techniques.
In addition, a physical therapist may also recommend such methods as heat therapy, ultrasound, massage, mobilization, and education about posture and body mechanics in order to prevent lower back pain from recurring.
Some of these methods will be discussed later on. You will also find some practical self-help tips provided by experts to help you avoid lower back pain or prevent the condition from worsening.
However, before we head on to learning how lower back pain is treated through physical therapy, it is important that we first understand what causes lower back pain.
Lower Back Pain: CAUSES
There are actually many types of back pain, but the most common is pain in the lower back. Why? You might ask. The reason is simple: you carry most of your weight in the lower back. Thus, it is highly likely that a person would suffer pain in that area.
There is no definitive cause of lower back pain. Sometimes, the causes of the condition are so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint just a single one.
However, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals have observed that lower back pain is often a result of strained back muscles and ligaments due to any of the following activities:
o Improper posture
o Heavy lifting
o Sudden awkward movement
o Muscle spasm
o Stress
We could all be guilty of the above activities. We may not suffer any back pains now, but it is likely that as we get older and the degree of inhibition of the back muscles as a result of these activities increases, back pain becomes a very distinct possibility.
In addition to these common activities, lower back pain may also result from specific conditions, such as:
o Herniated disk (when the disk material presses on a nerve)
o Sciatica (when a herniated disk presses on the sciatic nerve. The condition causes sharp, shooting pain through the buttocks and the back of the leg.)
o Spinal stenosis (when the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots becomes narrow. This is caused by arthritis and bone overgrowth, the pain resulting from when a nerve gets pinched in the narrow space.)
o Spondylosis (a type of arthritis affecting the spine due to degenerative changes brought on by aging)
o Spondylolisthesis (when one vertebra in the spinal column slips forward over another)
Lower Back Pain: TREATMENT
The treatment of lower back pain depends on several factors, including the specific type of lower back pain (whether it is chronic or acute) and the purported cause.
For instance, acute lower back pain is commonly treated with pain relieving drugs, such as analgesics, or some forms of exercises that can help relax the muscles.
On the other hand, chronic back pain - or one that lasts for more than two weeks and is progressive - may be caused by some underlying condition, during which case the treatment plan may consist of resolving the underlying condition to treat the back pain.
Lower Back Pain and Physical Therapy Exercise
Physical therapy exercise is one of the most common methods of treating lower back pain. In fact, many home remedies for lower back pain consist of exercise, because the general theory is that if you remain active, you remain healthy. This is true in most cases.
However, for purposes of this article, the exercises featured here will be those that are practiced by physical therapists to treat patients with lower back pain.
Generally, in physical therapy exercises, the exercise program for back pain should encompass a set of stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, and low impact aerobics. Read below for more on these exercises:
-Stretching
The back of a person is composed of the spinal column and contiguous muscles, ligaments and tendons. All these are designed to move in consonance with each other so that any limitation in the range of motion in any of these components of the back result in back pain.
Stretching for lower back pain specifically targets soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and tendons, found in the back and around the spine. By stretching, the spine and soft tissues are mobilized, increasing motion and thus, relieving pain.
There are many kinds of stretching exercises employed by physical therapists. One is the Hamstring Stretching Exercise which works to relax tight hamstrings, a common symptom of lower back pain. This exercise is said to help decrease the intensity of lower back pain among sufferers.
-Strengthening
Physical therapists generally use two forms of strengthening and back pain relief exercises, usually depending on the specific condition of the patient. These are the McKenzie exercises and dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises. However, the two forms of strengthening exercises may also be combined should the therapist find it appropriate to do so.
-McKenzie Exercises
Named after a physical therapist in New Zealand, McKenzie exercises are primarily extension exercises that could help reduce pain generated from the disc space and also may help reduce the symptoms of herniated disc by reducing pressure on a nerve root.
For acute pain, the McKenzie exercises should be done frequently, at least once every two hours. In addition, patients are advised to avoid flexing their spine when exercising.
-Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization Exercises
Using this back exercise technique, the first thing that a physical therapist does is to look for the patient's "neutral" spine. This refers to the position that allows the patient to feel the most comfortable.
Afterwards, when the patient is in that position, the back muscles are then exercised in order to "teach" the spine how to stay in this position.
Performing these exercises on a regular basis can help strengthen the back muscles and keep the spine well-positioned.
Low Impact Aerobic Exercises
The purpose of low impact aerobic exercise is to recondition the back. Patients who undergo reconditioning of the back through low impact aerobic exercise will have fewer episodes of lower back pain.
In addition, whenever an episode of lower back pain does occur, the pain is less intense and lasts only for a short period.
Another benefit of low impact aerobic exercise is that patients tend to stay functional - that is, they can continue with their regular work and carry on with recreational activities. In contrast, patients who do not undergo low impact aerobic exercises typically experience the gradual loss of their functional abilities.
For low impact aerobic exercises to achieve their desired results, they should be continuous. This will increase the heart rate and keep it elevated as well as increase the production of endorphins, which are pain fighting hormones released by the body.
Here are some examples of low impact aerobic exercises that you may want to try in order to lessen or reduce lower back pain:
-Walking
One of the simplest forms of aerobic exercises, walking is generally considered as very gentle on the back. To get the maximum benefit from walking as a form of low impact aerobic exercise, walk two to three miles three times per week.
-Stationary Bicycling
This form of aerobic exercise is less painful on the back since there is lower impact produced. This is beneficial for patients with lower back pain who may find walking too painful.
-Water Therapy
Sometimes referred to as aquatherapy, water therapy is simply doing exercise in the water. The buoyancy works to provide effective conditioning at the same time stress on the back is reduced.
Nishanth Reddy is an author and publisher of many health related websites. Visit his website for more information about lower back pain relief and treatment methods. Learn different treatment methods used for back pain relief.
Lower Back Pain Relief
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Monday, 6 December 2010
Reconditioning Your Back - A New Type of Exercises For Lower Back Pain
Numerous writers on the subject of back exercises for lower back pain point to the efficacy of back exercises for obtaining relief, even long-term relief. Therapeutic exercises form a key part of any physical therapy program for back pain.
There are more-effective and less-effective systems of exercise for the relief of back pain. Advocates of strengthening and stretching exercises point to yoga, Pilates, therapy ball exercises, and various programs of stretches. These exercises have a degree of efficacy with mild to moderate back pain; with more severe cases, however, a specific kind of exercise is needed for fast and definitive improvement (days or weeks, rather than months or years).
To understand the process of reconditioning your back, beyond the idea that certain exercises promise to do that, you need a bit of technical understanding of what's behind most back pain and what back exercises must do to alleviate it.
First, a brief overview of back pain:
Overview
Most back pain is of neuromuscular origin -- meaning that it comes from muscles triggered to stay tight by brain-level conditioning. "Conditioning" means "learned or acquired habit patterns".
According to a writer at WebMD.com, on the topic, "Low Back Pain - Cause"...
If muscles are tight, it's because the brain is triggering them into a state of tightness. The technical term would be, "conditioned postural reflex". "Reflex" means "on automatic". So, most back pain comes from acquired habit patterns that keep muscles tight on automatic. Pain follows.
Tight back muscles pull vertebrae (back bones) tight and close together, causing friction between neighboring vertebrae (facet joints), leading to facet joint irritation (facet joint syndrome). At the same time, they cause spinal misalignment ("subluxation"), compress discs, leading to disc breakdown ("degenerative disc disease"), disc bulges (herniation), nerve root entrapment (e.g., sciatica), eventual disc rupture, extrusion of disc material (nucleus pulposus) and pressure on nerve roots, and eventual disc fusion. That about covers the range conditions associated with back pain -- and, except for violent accidents, they all trace back to neuromuscular conditioning.
How Does Neuromuscular Conditioning Develop?
Another name for neuromuscular conditioning is habits of posture and movement. Most movements, you may notice, occur on automatic once set into motion. That's because you've learned them previously and now only need to intend them for them to occur and to make minor adjustments of movement to meet the need of your activity.
In other words, you've learned habits of movement.
That's how excessive back muscle tension and back pain form: the formation of a back-muscle tension habit, through any of these three routes: repetitive motion, violent accident, or emotional stress. All make their impression on "movement memory" ("muscle memory"); all lead to and underlie most back pain.
That simplifies matters: When we think of learning, we think of memories formed by repetition, drill, and an experience of some intensity. In other words, repetitive motions and accidents produce enough of an impression on the brain to create a memory of "how movement should be" to create a tension habit and habits of movement.
The Way Out
Most articles on back pain revolve around a few common approaches:
strengthening
stretching
warming up before activity
good posture
good structural support
All of these approaches are ways of coping with a poorly conditioned back. However, they don't go deeply enough to change that conditioning to the point of a definitive end to back trouble.
Let's hear from some of these writers, just to be able to make my point in relation to something specific.
With regard to dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises, writer Nishanth Reddy has this to say in his article, "Physical Therapy for the Lower Back: How to Prevent and Treat Lower Back Pain":
Dr. Graeme Teague, an accepted expert in the structural field, advocates releasing tension in the hip flexors and improving the strength of the abdominals. While releasing tension in the hip flexors allows for a more erect carriage of posture, improving the strength of the abdominals does not change the conditioning of the back muscles, but only brings temporary relief as long as the person keeps their abdominal muscles tight -- not needed by someone with a normal or healthy back.
On the website for The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, on the topic, "How is back pain treated?" the writer states:
In other words, the effect of strengthening and stretching exercises comes almost entirely from learning better control of back muscle action. It's not "added strength" or "added stretch", but added control, which regulates muscle strength and length (degree of "stretch" and tendency to spasm), posture, and degree of muscle fatigue (soreness).
Since our brain has learned its way into your back pain, we must teach it the way out. That's the key to effective back exercises.
That point understood, we understand that the most direct route back to comfort is learning better regulation of muscle tension and movement, which leads to better posture and movement and which leads out of strain to ease. That kind of learning works in reverse to the other kind of conditioning that creates back pain to create a new, automatic, healthier pattern of back muscle conditioning. That kind of learning makes efforts at "maintaining good posture", "maintaining neutral spine position", or "holding adjustments" unnecessary -- unnecessary because your good condition is now automatic, your new baseline or habit of natural movement -- like anyone else with a good back.
As with all methods and techniques for accomplishing anything, there exist more effective ways and less effective ways. First, a description of a less effective way: A quote from writer, Dave Powell, in his article, "Ouch! Prevent Lower Back Pain!", makes my point.
First, notice the regimen he recommends, then notice, in his own words, the expected outcome:
I differ from these writers. I say (based on my experience and that of my colleagues in the field of clinical somatic education, who have worked with thousands of clients over the years). If you recondition your back muscle control, rather than merely strengthen or stretch muscles -- or limit your posture and movement -- you can have healthy back without concern for maintaining posture and alignment, without concern for pain or for a "bad back" -- because your habits of movement are already automatically healthy.
Even if you may be skeptical -- and I can understand why you would be -- do you like that idea? What I say is doable and my words are testable. See the links at the end of this article for free instructional video that teaches somatic exercises for back pain.
Learning to Control Your Back Muscles
If you have back trouble, almost certainly your back muscles are musclebound and out of your control, held tight by brain-level conditioning that keeps them tight, out of reach of strengthening, stretching, or efforts at good posture or correct movement.
To recondition your back muscles better is to free yourself from painful conditioning that keeps them tight, and so to establish a new, healthier, automatic (second-nature) pattern of movement. The result is freedom from back pain as a person with a healthy back.
Moreover, it doesn't matter, in most cases, how long you have been in your condition; you can correct it fairly quickly using an approach that treats the underlying cause.
That's it, in principle.
An Entirely New Form of Therapeutic Exercise
Somatic exercises free you from habituated back muscle tension and establish a healthier pattern by dissolving the grip of the old habit pattern and imprinting a new sense of movement and control into your memory. In other words, they teach your brain a new pattern of muscular control.
The way they dissolve the grip of the old habit pattern is by triggering, in the problem areas, a neuromuscular response similar to yawning. That action, called "pandiculation", involves your deliberately contracting the musclebound muscles in specific positions and then slowly releasing the contraction; it refreshes voluntary control of movement sufficiently to shift control from conditioned reflexes, to your voluntary control. The immediate result is a relaxation of habitual tension patterns. The way they teach your brain a new pattern of control is the same way as you learn any other pattern of control: by practicing the new pattern until it is as familiar to you as the old pattern. At that point, you're set free; you don't have to hold on to the new pattern because it's a pattern of freedom.
You can see such exercises in the links, below, to free instructional videos of somatic exercises for back pain.
Because somatic exercises are designed specifically for learning muscular control ("muscle memory" or "movement memory"), they target the central process of effective back exercises for lower back pain (and other locations of pain, as well) and accomplish what is ordinarily sought through strengthening, stretching, efforts at good posture or good body mechanics.
Here are the elements of somatic exercises.
Somatic exercises are...
slow
comfortable
patterned movements
that, by establishing new memories of how movement feels...
relieve pain
free the muscles
develop new, low-strain patterns of movement
coordinate movement better
improve strength
... all of which result in natural, easy movement in comfort.
CONCLUSION
What I've done in this article is highlight standard ways of treating back pain to illuminate their underlying principles and their degree of efficacy, then present and explain an alternative that accomplishes all they seek to accomplish.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
An Entirely New Class of Therapeutic Exercises
Somatic Back Exercises for Lower Back Pain
Lawrence Gold is a long-time practicing clinical somatic educator certified in The Rolf Method of Structural Integration and in Hanna Somatic Education, with two years' hospital rehab center experience (Watsonville Community Hospital Wellness and Rehabilitation Center: 1997-1999) and articles published in The American Journal of Pain Management (Pain Relief through Movement Education: January, 1996, Vol. 6, no. 1, pg. 30) and in The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients (A Functional Look at Back Pain and Treatment Methods: November, 1994, #136, pg. 1186 ).
There are more-effective and less-effective systems of exercise for the relief of back pain. Advocates of strengthening and stretching exercises point to yoga, Pilates, therapy ball exercises, and various programs of stretches. These exercises have a degree of efficacy with mild to moderate back pain; with more severe cases, however, a specific kind of exercise is needed for fast and definitive improvement (days or weeks, rather than months or years).
To understand the process of reconditioning your back, beyond the idea that certain exercises promise to do that, you need a bit of technical understanding of what's behind most back pain and what back exercises must do to alleviate it.
First, a brief overview of back pain:
Overview
Most back pain is of neuromuscular origin -- meaning that it comes from muscles triggered to stay tight by brain-level conditioning. "Conditioning" means "learned or acquired habit patterns".
According to a writer at WebMD.com, on the topic, "Low Back Pain - Cause"...
Most low back pain is triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, and injury to the muscles, ligaments, and discs that support the spine.Muscle strain generally means, "musclebound" muscles; musclebound muscles generate pain through muscle fatigue and soreness.
If muscles are tight, it's because the brain is triggering them into a state of tightness. The technical term would be, "conditioned postural reflex". "Reflex" means "on automatic". So, most back pain comes from acquired habit patterns that keep muscles tight on automatic. Pain follows.
Tight back muscles pull vertebrae (back bones) tight and close together, causing friction between neighboring vertebrae (facet joints), leading to facet joint irritation (facet joint syndrome). At the same time, they cause spinal misalignment ("subluxation"), compress discs, leading to disc breakdown ("degenerative disc disease"), disc bulges (herniation), nerve root entrapment (e.g., sciatica), eventual disc rupture, extrusion of disc material (nucleus pulposus) and pressure on nerve roots, and eventual disc fusion. That about covers the range conditions associated with back pain -- and, except for violent accidents, they all trace back to neuromuscular conditioning.
How Does Neuromuscular Conditioning Develop?
Another name for neuromuscular conditioning is habits of posture and movement. Most movements, you may notice, occur on automatic once set into motion. That's because you've learned them previously and now only need to intend them for them to occur and to make minor adjustments of movement to meet the need of your activity.
In other words, you've learned habits of movement.
That's how excessive back muscle tension and back pain form: the formation of a back-muscle tension habit, through any of these three routes: repetitive motion, violent accident, or emotional stress. All make their impression on "movement memory" ("muscle memory"); all lead to and underlie most back pain.
That simplifies matters: When we think of learning, we think of memories formed by repetition, drill, and an experience of some intensity. In other words, repetitive motions and accidents produce enough of an impression on the brain to create a memory of "how movement should be" to create a tension habit and habits of movement.
The Way Out
Most articles on back pain revolve around a few common approaches:
strengthening
stretching
warming up before activity
good posture
good structural support
All of these approaches are ways of coping with a poorly conditioned back. However, they don't go deeply enough to change that conditioning to the point of a definitive end to back trouble.
Let's hear from some of these writers, just to be able to make my point in relation to something specific.
With regard to dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises, writer Nishanth Reddy has this to say in his article, "Physical Therapy for the Lower Back: How to Prevent and Treat Lower Back Pain":
... the first thing that a physical therapist does is to look for the patient's "neutral" spine; [a]fterwards, when the patient is in that position, the back muscles are then exercised in order to "teach" the spine how to stay in this position.The basic error in this kind of thinking is of "teaching the spine how to stay in this position." You can't bend over, you can't twist, you can scarcely move while keeping your spine in a neutral position. So, regardless of whether it is the standard of treatment for back pain, it is limiting and impractical and we can scarcely consider it a definitive cure for back pain -- and I think you will find that therapists agree with me.
Dr. Graeme Teague, an accepted expert in the structural field, advocates releasing tension in the hip flexors and improving the strength of the abdominals. While releasing tension in the hip flexors allows for a more erect carriage of posture, improving the strength of the abdominals does not change the conditioning of the back muscles, but only brings temporary relief as long as the person keeps their abdominal muscles tight -- not needed by someone with a normal or healthy back.
On the website for The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, on the topic, "How is back pain treated?" the writer states:
Exercise may be the most effective way to speed recovery from low back pain and help strengthen back and abdominal muscles.Since the brain controls the tension and strength of muscles, and through that, muscle tension, length and posture, the brain's control of muscular action is a major key to ending back pain.
In other words, the effect of strengthening and stretching exercises comes almost entirely from learning better control of back muscle action. It's not "added strength" or "added stretch", but added control, which regulates muscle strength and length (degree of "stretch" and tendency to spasm), posture, and degree of muscle fatigue (soreness).
Since our brain has learned its way into your back pain, we must teach it the way out. That's the key to effective back exercises.
That point understood, we understand that the most direct route back to comfort is learning better regulation of muscle tension and movement, which leads to better posture and movement and which leads out of strain to ease. That kind of learning works in reverse to the other kind of conditioning that creates back pain to create a new, automatic, healthier pattern of back muscle conditioning. That kind of learning makes efforts at "maintaining good posture", "maintaining neutral spine position", or "holding adjustments" unnecessary -- unnecessary because your good condition is now automatic, your new baseline or habit of natural movement -- like anyone else with a good back.
As with all methods and techniques for accomplishing anything, there exist more effective ways and less effective ways. First, a description of a less effective way: A quote from writer, Dave Powell, in his article, "Ouch! Prevent Lower Back Pain!", makes my point.
First, notice the regimen he recommends, then notice, in his own words, the expected outcome:
First of all..., [w]hen you stand up, stand tall, tuck in your chin and then tuck your tail in.This recommendation amounts to holding a certain posture and alignment. While there's a measure of truth in his recommendation (e.g., good ergonomics in your work situation), his recommendation instills additional patterns of muscular holding (tension) to counter the habitual ones.
... lower back pain prevention means you must think and plan before you carry out a tough task. This will minimise the stress you put upon your back and very much reduce the risk of episodes of lower back pain.In other words, he implies that you can't be care-free about your movements and expect to be free of back pain.
I differ from these writers. I say (based on my experience and that of my colleagues in the field of clinical somatic education, who have worked with thousands of clients over the years). If you recondition your back muscle control, rather than merely strengthen or stretch muscles -- or limit your posture and movement -- you can have healthy back without concern for maintaining posture and alignment, without concern for pain or for a "bad back" -- because your habits of movement are already automatically healthy.
Even if you may be skeptical -- and I can understand why you would be -- do you like that idea? What I say is doable and my words are testable. See the links at the end of this article for free instructional video that teaches somatic exercises for back pain.
Learning to Control Your Back Muscles
If you have back trouble, almost certainly your back muscles are musclebound and out of your control, held tight by brain-level conditioning that keeps them tight, out of reach of strengthening, stretching, or efforts at good posture or correct movement.
To recondition your back muscles better is to free yourself from painful conditioning that keeps them tight, and so to establish a new, healthier, automatic (second-nature) pattern of movement. The result is freedom from back pain as a person with a healthy back.
Moreover, it doesn't matter, in most cases, how long you have been in your condition; you can correct it fairly quickly using an approach that treats the underlying cause.
That's it, in principle.
An Entirely New Form of Therapeutic Exercise
Somatic exercises free you from habituated back muscle tension and establish a healthier pattern by dissolving the grip of the old habit pattern and imprinting a new sense of movement and control into your memory. In other words, they teach your brain a new pattern of muscular control.
The way they dissolve the grip of the old habit pattern is by triggering, in the problem areas, a neuromuscular response similar to yawning. That action, called "pandiculation", involves your deliberately contracting the musclebound muscles in specific positions and then slowly releasing the contraction; it refreshes voluntary control of movement sufficiently to shift control from conditioned reflexes, to your voluntary control. The immediate result is a relaxation of habitual tension patterns. The way they teach your brain a new pattern of control is the same way as you learn any other pattern of control: by practicing the new pattern until it is as familiar to you as the old pattern. At that point, you're set free; you don't have to hold on to the new pattern because it's a pattern of freedom.
You can see such exercises in the links, below, to free instructional videos of somatic exercises for back pain.
Because somatic exercises are designed specifically for learning muscular control ("muscle memory" or "movement memory"), they target the central process of effective back exercises for lower back pain (and other locations of pain, as well) and accomplish what is ordinarily sought through strengthening, stretching, efforts at good posture or good body mechanics.
Here are the elements of somatic exercises.
Somatic exercises are...
slow
comfortable
patterned movements
that, by establishing new memories of how movement feels...
relieve pain
free the muscles
develop new, low-strain patterns of movement
coordinate movement better
improve strength
... all of which result in natural, easy movement in comfort.
CONCLUSION
What I've done in this article is highlight standard ways of treating back pain to illuminate their underlying principles and their degree of efficacy, then present and explain an alternative that accomplishes all they seek to accomplish.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
An Entirely New Class of Therapeutic Exercises
Somatic Back Exercises for Lower Back Pain
Lawrence Gold is a long-time practicing clinical somatic educator certified in The Rolf Method of Structural Integration and in Hanna Somatic Education, with two years' hospital rehab center experience (Watsonville Community Hospital Wellness and Rehabilitation Center: 1997-1999) and articles published in The American Journal of Pain Management (Pain Relief through Movement Education: January, 1996, Vol. 6, no. 1, pg. 30) and in The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients (A Functional Look at Back Pain and Treatment Methods: November, 1994, #136, pg. 1186 ).
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Sciatica and Back Pain - An Explanation of Pain, Its Origins and Consequences in Daily Living
The purpose of this article is to delve into the phenomenon of back pain, particularly as it relates to sciatica - or sciatic nerve pain. We will attempt to examine pain, in its various guises and manifestations, followed by a discussion of the more common consequences associated with it. Back pain, and with it sciatica, is one of the most common forms of pain affecting our society today, it particularly impacts men after the age of thirty and women during pregnancy and after menopause.
While etiology, or cause, differs significantly between men and women, symptoms may be, and often are, remarkably similar. When we speak of back pain and sciatic nerve pain, the latter known as sciatica, we describe it in various ways depending on the level and duration of the event. Pain, particularly back and leg pain (i.e, sciatica) is, very often, situational; and, is dependent on the time of day, level of activity, underlying pathology, whether disease or trauma, and even the weather. In fact, there are a myriad of reasons for pain, in all its manifestations.
Pain can be short-term and sharp, meaning acute; or, it may be dull, throbbing and last a long time, as in chronic pain. Back pain and sciatic nerve pain may also be a combination of sensations, as in acute/chronic back pain or dull/chronic sciatic nerve pain. Everyone who has experienced back pain and sciatica knows there are as many forms and levels of pain as there are days in the year, probably more!How many sciatica sufferers first described their pain as a "muscle pull?" Or back pain as "stabbing?"Pain is usually defined as any unpleasant emotional, sensory, and physiological experience associated with real (i. e. actual) or potential tissue damage. Pain is caused by an activation of a pain receptor, best described as a weed-like nerve ending with overlapping branches from the receptors below it and above it.
These overlapping branches are like bunches of wires, all triggering or firing electrical impulses, messages, that are then carried and conveyed to and along the central nervous system to its terminal, the brain. Once the impulse reaches the brain, we sense pain, whether a throbbing sensation in the side, above the iliac crest or hip bone. . . or an aching, pulling sensation down the back of the leg, as in sciatica. The pathway to the brain is often what practitioners, from various disciplines, will focus on as they attempt to "interrupt" the pain "message" flow, stopping the pain and thus providing temporary relief. There are two types of fibers
conducting pain impulses and two kinds of pain resulting from the initiation of these fibers. The manifestation of pain is along a continuum, depending on the type of fibers activated, how many fibers are stimulated, and how many of each kind of fibers continue firing. Basically, A fibers are rapid conducting (sharp or acute) and C, delta fibers, are slow conducting (dull or throbbing). Epicritc pain is pain originating from a specific area of the skin, usually referred to as a dermatome. Protopathic pain is deep, visceral and somatic pain, usually conducted through more diffuse pathways in the body, thus causing a generalized, poorly localized pain, like an aching back or a throbbing lower leg (sciatica).
The pain, once again, is deeper and harder to pinpoint but there is no doubt about it being there. Additionally, there are two pathways we are interested in as they pertain to back pain and sciatica. The first are spinothalamic tracts and these are the main pain conducting pathways in the spinal cord. The other type of pathway is of a more diffuse nature but still passes through various segments of the sympathetic ganglia (e. g. , branches or bundles of nerves in part of the sympathetic nervous system) to the thalamus and cerebral cortex, this is called reticulospinal tract. The two tracts in concert provide the necessary infrastructure for pain impulses to reach the brain, and for us to react to that pain. Pain stimuli, whether for back pain or sciatica, may indicate an obvious, specific injury or event. Or, the injury or underlying pathology may be unknown. The stimuli itself, or themselves in the case of multiple stimuli or events, cause a specific pain sensation. In the case of back pain, the sensations can be anything from a dull ache to an acute, stabbing pain; and, the same is true of sciatica. Once again, all is dependent on where on the pain continuum the stimuli falls and what fibers are being activated. Of course, everything is dependent on how the central nervous system responds to a given set of stimuli, and stimuli vary in their effectiveness and responsiveness according to the changes in the response of the central nervous system.
Ultimately, back pain and sciatica may lead to impairment, functional limitations, and even disability. The impairment may mean an abnormality or loss of a given function whether it is psychological or physiological. It may also mean the loss of an anatomical function or structural failure, such as foot drop or numbness. A functional limitation due to back pain and/or sciatica may involve the inability to partially or completely perform an activity once thought of as second nature, like bending over and tying your shoes, taking the dog for a walk around the block or picking up your children or grandchildren. The inability to perform certain functions may have a carryover effect, causing real psychological pain due to the failure to integrate activity in one's life when back and leg pain becomes a limiting factor. Finally, disability becomes reality.
The limitations in the life of the back pain or sciatica sufferer become so pervasive due to the pain it limits, and in fact prevents, the fulfillment of normal life functions. Back pain and sciatic nerve pain or sciatica is a psychological, physiological, and anatomical phenomenon causing anything from mild, temporary discomfort to acute and chronic pain leading to an entire collapse of the normal, day-to-day activities of the individual suffering from it. Back pain and sciatica can progress from minor impairment to total disability and loss of identity if not diagnosed and treated properly. The long-term effects can be life altering if the pain is not dealt with quickly and intelligently. Whether the individual is in the beginning stages of the pain continuum or has progressed to a full blown disability, there is help available. The question becomes, "How to stop the sciatica and back pain" and, more importantly, "How long are you going to let it go before you do something about it?" The decision is up to the individual, the time to act it always now.
For further information and an intelligent program of treatment and exercise, one that works for back pain and sciatica, 100% guaranteed, go to: http://www.HowToStopSciatica.com
For additional information and links to excellent sources for back products, including New Balance shoes...in my opinion, the best on the market for back pain and sciatica sufferers: http://www.ultimatebadbackstrategies.com
While etiology, or cause, differs significantly between men and women, symptoms may be, and often are, remarkably similar. When we speak of back pain and sciatic nerve pain, the latter known as sciatica, we describe it in various ways depending on the level and duration of the event. Pain, particularly back and leg pain (i.e, sciatica) is, very often, situational; and, is dependent on the time of day, level of activity, underlying pathology, whether disease or trauma, and even the weather. In fact, there are a myriad of reasons for pain, in all its manifestations.
Pain can be short-term and sharp, meaning acute; or, it may be dull, throbbing and last a long time, as in chronic pain. Back pain and sciatic nerve pain may also be a combination of sensations, as in acute/chronic back pain or dull/chronic sciatic nerve pain. Everyone who has experienced back pain and sciatica knows there are as many forms and levels of pain as there are days in the year, probably more!How many sciatica sufferers first described their pain as a "muscle pull?" Or back pain as "stabbing?"Pain is usually defined as any unpleasant emotional, sensory, and physiological experience associated with real (i. e. actual) or potential tissue damage. Pain is caused by an activation of a pain receptor, best described as a weed-like nerve ending with overlapping branches from the receptors below it and above it.
These overlapping branches are like bunches of wires, all triggering or firing electrical impulses, messages, that are then carried and conveyed to and along the central nervous system to its terminal, the brain. Once the impulse reaches the brain, we sense pain, whether a throbbing sensation in the side, above the iliac crest or hip bone. . . or an aching, pulling sensation down the back of the leg, as in sciatica. The pathway to the brain is often what practitioners, from various disciplines, will focus on as they attempt to "interrupt" the pain "message" flow, stopping the pain and thus providing temporary relief. There are two types of fibers
conducting pain impulses and two kinds of pain resulting from the initiation of these fibers. The manifestation of pain is along a continuum, depending on the type of fibers activated, how many fibers are stimulated, and how many of each kind of fibers continue firing. Basically, A fibers are rapid conducting (sharp or acute) and C, delta fibers, are slow conducting (dull or throbbing). Epicritc pain is pain originating from a specific area of the skin, usually referred to as a dermatome. Protopathic pain is deep, visceral and somatic pain, usually conducted through more diffuse pathways in the body, thus causing a generalized, poorly localized pain, like an aching back or a throbbing lower leg (sciatica).
The pain, once again, is deeper and harder to pinpoint but there is no doubt about it being there. Additionally, there are two pathways we are interested in as they pertain to back pain and sciatica. The first are spinothalamic tracts and these are the main pain conducting pathways in the spinal cord. The other type of pathway is of a more diffuse nature but still passes through various segments of the sympathetic ganglia (e. g. , branches or bundles of nerves in part of the sympathetic nervous system) to the thalamus and cerebral cortex, this is called reticulospinal tract. The two tracts in concert provide the necessary infrastructure for pain impulses to reach the brain, and for us to react to that pain. Pain stimuli, whether for back pain or sciatica, may indicate an obvious, specific injury or event. Or, the injury or underlying pathology may be unknown. The stimuli itself, or themselves in the case of multiple stimuli or events, cause a specific pain sensation. In the case of back pain, the sensations can be anything from a dull ache to an acute, stabbing pain; and, the same is true of sciatica. Once again, all is dependent on where on the pain continuum the stimuli falls and what fibers are being activated. Of course, everything is dependent on how the central nervous system responds to a given set of stimuli, and stimuli vary in their effectiveness and responsiveness according to the changes in the response of the central nervous system.
Ultimately, back pain and sciatica may lead to impairment, functional limitations, and even disability. The impairment may mean an abnormality or loss of a given function whether it is psychological or physiological. It may also mean the loss of an anatomical function or structural failure, such as foot drop or numbness. A functional limitation due to back pain and/or sciatica may involve the inability to partially or completely perform an activity once thought of as second nature, like bending over and tying your shoes, taking the dog for a walk around the block or picking up your children or grandchildren. The inability to perform certain functions may have a carryover effect, causing real psychological pain due to the failure to integrate activity in one's life when back and leg pain becomes a limiting factor. Finally, disability becomes reality.
The limitations in the life of the back pain or sciatica sufferer become so pervasive due to the pain it limits, and in fact prevents, the fulfillment of normal life functions. Back pain and sciatic nerve pain or sciatica is a psychological, physiological, and anatomical phenomenon causing anything from mild, temporary discomfort to acute and chronic pain leading to an entire collapse of the normal, day-to-day activities of the individual suffering from it. Back pain and sciatica can progress from minor impairment to total disability and loss of identity if not diagnosed and treated properly. The long-term effects can be life altering if the pain is not dealt with quickly and intelligently. Whether the individual is in the beginning stages of the pain continuum or has progressed to a full blown disability, there is help available. The question becomes, "How to stop the sciatica and back pain" and, more importantly, "How long are you going to let it go before you do something about it?" The decision is up to the individual, the time to act it always now.
For further information and an intelligent program of treatment and exercise, one that works for back pain and sciatica, 100% guaranteed, go to: http://www.HowToStopSciatica.com
For additional information and links to excellent sources for back products, including New Balance shoes...in my opinion, the best on the market for back pain and sciatica sufferers: http://www.ultimatebadbackstrategies.com
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Traditional Treatments for Back Pain... Which Ones Work and Which Ones Don't?
When Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, she was told to do so by those who wanted her to get where she wanted go. Well as humans when we blindly follow recommendations even by individuals who have good intentions, it may not always be your best option. So I'm preparing this article to compare and contrast what are known as traditional treatments vs. complementary or alternative treatments for back pain. Remember there is rarely only one reason for your back pain and almost never one silver bullet fix... you may need to try several approaches till you find what works for you.
So when reading this article and thinking back on your visits to medical professionals, did you have the big picture or were you just following that yellow brick road? If you have been down that road, or if you are just starting to suffer from back pain it's never too late to seek out new and more encompassing information about your condition when trying to find a solution that works for you. Don't say you've tried everything because you haven't... your solution is out there and you just have to find it!
Orthopedic Care
One of the first places many people go when they experience back pain is the orthopedic specialist (surgeon) and a visit usually last 5-10 minutes. They will typically look at the problem/symptomatic area and often fail to look at the body as a whole. If you've been to an orthopedic specialist for your back pain, did they do a full body physical evaluation (takes 30 mins. or more)??? Not likely.
Here are some of the common treatments used / prescribed by orthopedic specialists:
Cortisone Shots
Cortisone is a catabolic steroid which is intended to reduce inflammation by killing off the tissue in the inflamed area... now let me ask you, does that make any sense to you at all?
Not only are these injections quite painful, but they rarely result in any pain relief and if they do it is short lived, usually 1-2 weeks if at all. Plus, it does NOTHING to identify or address the cause of the pain... it is only intended to treat the symptom. It's for those reasons that we do not recommend them.
Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Just the name should scare you away... just like cortisone shots, anti-inflammatory medications do not identify or address the cause of your pain and for many people, they deliver little pain relief. These medications also deliver serious side effects! The main reason they are prescribed is money... and if you don't believe me, do the research and you'll see for yourself. The drug industry is huge and unfortunately, they have a huge influence on the whole medical community, including the doctors.
I challenge you to find a drug that will fix your back problem... you'll be looking forever because there is no way a medication can fix a physical problem so avoid medications at all costs!
Back Surgery
Surgery for back pain is very common and more often than not, the individual still has pain afterwards (or it returns within weeks) and sometimes even new problems! Very rarely is a surgery the answer...
for example, many people have surgery for herniated discs. The logic behind the surgery is if you remove the piece/portion of the disc that is putting pressure on the nerve the problem is solved. Unfortunately, the same forces that forced that disc to protrude or bulge will likely force more of the disc out, or another disc out.
Surgery should always be the last resort... and even then I'd question it!
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy is traditionally the next step after seeing an Orthopedic Doctor. That is if surgery is not recommended. So what should you expect? The process will start with an evaluation and here may be the start of the problem... here is why.... the doctor has to write a prescription with a diagnosis on it. You give the prescription to the PT and he or she will perform an evaluation... chances are the PT will simply confirm the diagnosis from the doctor, however the hope should be that they take the extra step to look for the root cause of your pain. They may but chances are they have several other clients in the office at the same time and simply do not have the time.
So without a comprehensive evaluation to identify the root cause of you pain they will simply treat your symptoms. We have just identified the second problem. The health care industry is required to show improvement with each and every session so the push is to reduce your symptoms to show progress in order for them to get paid. The long and short of it is that yes your pain can be reduced but the root cause rarely gets addressed, meaning that the pain and your suffering will return again and again.
So what should you do? When selecting a Physical Therapy office you may want to ask how many patients the office sees in a day and how many PTs they have on staff... then ask how many patients can a PT work with in an hour. Do not be surprised to hear that a PT can see up to three patients in an hour. That's you and two others at the same time. Do you think you will get the attention and proper treatments you need? I doubt it.
There is a little joke in Physical Therapy when treating patients and it has to do with what course of modalities you will get. The joke is called Shake and Bake and it refers to everyone gets the same treatment protocol... that way it can be timed so that your PT can see other people simultaneously. What goes into a shake and bake treatment? It may start with a spin on a stationary bike or a trot a treadmill than you will get a 3 to 5 minute Ultrasound over the effected area followed by Electrical Stimulation to the area with a little Ice strapped to your body and to finish off your session you will get a hand out with exercises you should do at home. Certainly not a recipe for success!
Chiropractic Care
One of the most common treatments for back pain is Chiropractic Care. The approach consists of physical manipulations of bones and joints in an attempt to line things back up and it's recommended typically 2-3 times per week.
The problem with this approach is that the same forces (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) will likely pull the bones and joints right back out of place again. Also, most (not all) chiropractors will spend 15 minutes with you if your lucky.
Ask people who see a chiropractor how long they've been going... I hear of people who have been going for 10-15 years and still don't have a healthy back. Look, the fact is chiropractic care is lacking...
Unless the chiropractor combines the two approaches, it doesn't make sense...
The ONLY way chiropractic care makes sense is if you are addressing the muscle imbalances that are pulling the bones and joints out of place to begin with and that requires strengthening and stretching exercises that are chosen specifically to correct your muscle imbalances.
Alternative Treatments for Treating and Eliminating Back Pain
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy, if done correctly can work wonders for people with back pain. This is not to say that it is the best choice and that it will work for everyone... however, most people will get great results from it if the massage therapist has a good understanding of muscle imbalances and how to work on them.
NOTE: Not all massage therapists are the same! Just like any profession, there are varying degrees of training and qualifications. When selecting a massage therapist please check to see if they are licensed and insured in the state where you will be seeing them. You should also ask the massage therapist if they have training in one of the following areas: Orthopedic massage, Medical massage, St. Johns technique and/or has a comprehensive knowledge of muscle imbalances relating to back pain. With that said the benefits are as follows. The root cause will be identified, your discomfort will be addressed and you root cause will be corrected all in an attempt to make you pain free and give you the tools you need to keep you that way. What to expect when you see a massage therapist.
All massage sessions are one on one allowing you the opportunity to converse with the therapist as well as get the attention you need to get results. You can ask questions about how you compare to other people. Feel free to ask the therapist what approach they will be taking so that you know what to expect. The massage therapist has many different techniques they can use when to dealing with you back pain and some are better than others. On the down side sometimes a therapist can get distracted with other problem areas, it is in your best interest to keep them focused on you back and associated problem areas. Like anything else you may need to try several different therapists before finding the one that works best for you and with you.
Post-rehabilitation Fitness Training
Another overlooked form of treatment that is very effective is post-rehabilitation fitness training. This includes targeted strength and flexibility work to correct / improve the individuals muscle imbalances. This service can only be performed by certified post-rehab fitness trainers and there are limitations to what they can do for you. For example, they can not diagnose a condition, prescribe any medications take x-rays, etc... however, if they are well trained they can pinpoint your muscle imbalances quickly and get you started on a fitness program that will restore balance to your body and likely eliminate your back pain.
Often times this can be combined with massage therapy and/or manual physical therapy for a total solution. If you decide to go this route, which I recommend you do, be sure to thoroughly check out the fitness trainer and ask to see their certification, insurance, references, etc.
Manual Physical (muscle) Therapy
Manual Physical Therapy is NOT the same as regular physical therapy... there are some major differences and here are just a few:
1. Manual therapy consists of hands on muscle work primarily whereas traditional physical therapy consists of heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc
2. Manual therapist will typically perform a much more thorough physical evaluation
3. Manual therapists will usually be able to spend more time with each patient
4. Manual therapy is more holistic in it's approach and focuses the body as a whole unit... something lacking from nearly all traditional treatments for back pain.
So before you say, "I've already tried physical therapy"... did you try manual physical therapy? They are two very different treatment approaches and I highly recommend you consider manual physical therapy.
Conclusion
As you can see traditional treatments are the main stay of modern medicine... not necessarily for the patients benefit, but it's just how the system works best for itself. The system will not change until the system is confronted with a very powerful competitive force. That force may well be complementary or alternative care from the likes of Personal Trainers, Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, Manual Physical Therapists, and the like.
So that's what we've tried to do... force change. The traditional treatments that people have been receiving for decades just doesn't work, and we have found a combination approach that not only works the best, but it's safe, natural, and inexpensive. Check out our "Lose the Back Pain" video now... it will show you how to identify the cause of your back pain and the show you the exact combination of steps to take to eliminate it.
If you have tried other treatments with little or no relief/improvement, you owe it to yourself to try this approach... so take charge of your health and get started now working towards not only a pain free back, but a healthy and balanced body! Only you can fix your back... all you need is the right approach!
Warning: This article is not intended to be medical advice however its intent is to make you a better, smatter and more informed client. The more you know and understand about your medical condition the better off you will be when it comes time to make the hard choices. As well as communicating with medical professionals.... believe me it will make a world of difference.
About The Author
Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist and he has helped hundreds of individuals to eliminate their back pain. Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain.
support@losethebackpain.com
So when reading this article and thinking back on your visits to medical professionals, did you have the big picture or were you just following that yellow brick road? If you have been down that road, or if you are just starting to suffer from back pain it's never too late to seek out new and more encompassing information about your condition when trying to find a solution that works for you. Don't say you've tried everything because you haven't... your solution is out there and you just have to find it!
Orthopedic Care
One of the first places many people go when they experience back pain is the orthopedic specialist (surgeon) and a visit usually last 5-10 minutes. They will typically look at the problem/symptomatic area and often fail to look at the body as a whole. If you've been to an orthopedic specialist for your back pain, did they do a full body physical evaluation (takes 30 mins. or more)??? Not likely.
Here are some of the common treatments used / prescribed by orthopedic specialists:
Cortisone Shots
Cortisone is a catabolic steroid which is intended to reduce inflammation by killing off the tissue in the inflamed area... now let me ask you, does that make any sense to you at all?
Not only are these injections quite painful, but they rarely result in any pain relief and if they do it is short lived, usually 1-2 weeks if at all. Plus, it does NOTHING to identify or address the cause of the pain... it is only intended to treat the symptom. It's for those reasons that we do not recommend them.
Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Just the name should scare you away... just like cortisone shots, anti-inflammatory medications do not identify or address the cause of your pain and for many people, they deliver little pain relief. These medications also deliver serious side effects! The main reason they are prescribed is money... and if you don't believe me, do the research and you'll see for yourself. The drug industry is huge and unfortunately, they have a huge influence on the whole medical community, including the doctors.
I challenge you to find a drug that will fix your back problem... you'll be looking forever because there is no way a medication can fix a physical problem so avoid medications at all costs!
Back Surgery
Surgery for back pain is very common and more often than not, the individual still has pain afterwards (or it returns within weeks) and sometimes even new problems! Very rarely is a surgery the answer...
for example, many people have surgery for herniated discs. The logic behind the surgery is if you remove the piece/portion of the disc that is putting pressure on the nerve the problem is solved. Unfortunately, the same forces that forced that disc to protrude or bulge will likely force more of the disc out, or another disc out.
Surgery should always be the last resort... and even then I'd question it!
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy is traditionally the next step after seeing an Orthopedic Doctor. That is if surgery is not recommended. So what should you expect? The process will start with an evaluation and here may be the start of the problem... here is why.... the doctor has to write a prescription with a diagnosis on it. You give the prescription to the PT and he or she will perform an evaluation... chances are the PT will simply confirm the diagnosis from the doctor, however the hope should be that they take the extra step to look for the root cause of your pain. They may but chances are they have several other clients in the office at the same time and simply do not have the time.
So without a comprehensive evaluation to identify the root cause of you pain they will simply treat your symptoms. We have just identified the second problem. The health care industry is required to show improvement with each and every session so the push is to reduce your symptoms to show progress in order for them to get paid. The long and short of it is that yes your pain can be reduced but the root cause rarely gets addressed, meaning that the pain and your suffering will return again and again.
So what should you do? When selecting a Physical Therapy office you may want to ask how many patients the office sees in a day and how many PTs they have on staff... then ask how many patients can a PT work with in an hour. Do not be surprised to hear that a PT can see up to three patients in an hour. That's you and two others at the same time. Do you think you will get the attention and proper treatments you need? I doubt it.
There is a little joke in Physical Therapy when treating patients and it has to do with what course of modalities you will get. The joke is called Shake and Bake and it refers to everyone gets the same treatment protocol... that way it can be timed so that your PT can see other people simultaneously. What goes into a shake and bake treatment? It may start with a spin on a stationary bike or a trot a treadmill than you will get a 3 to 5 minute Ultrasound over the effected area followed by Electrical Stimulation to the area with a little Ice strapped to your body and to finish off your session you will get a hand out with exercises you should do at home. Certainly not a recipe for success!
Chiropractic Care
One of the most common treatments for back pain is Chiropractic Care. The approach consists of physical manipulations of bones and joints in an attempt to line things back up and it's recommended typically 2-3 times per week.
The problem with this approach is that the same forces (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) will likely pull the bones and joints right back out of place again. Also, most (not all) chiropractors will spend 15 minutes with you if your lucky.
Ask people who see a chiropractor how long they've been going... I hear of people who have been going for 10-15 years and still don't have a healthy back. Look, the fact is chiropractic care is lacking...
Unless the chiropractor combines the two approaches, it doesn't make sense...
The ONLY way chiropractic care makes sense is if you are addressing the muscle imbalances that are pulling the bones and joints out of place to begin with and that requires strengthening and stretching exercises that are chosen specifically to correct your muscle imbalances.
Alternative Treatments for Treating and Eliminating Back Pain
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy, if done correctly can work wonders for people with back pain. This is not to say that it is the best choice and that it will work for everyone... however, most people will get great results from it if the massage therapist has a good understanding of muscle imbalances and how to work on them.
NOTE: Not all massage therapists are the same! Just like any profession, there are varying degrees of training and qualifications. When selecting a massage therapist please check to see if they are licensed and insured in the state where you will be seeing them. You should also ask the massage therapist if they have training in one of the following areas: Orthopedic massage, Medical massage, St. Johns technique and/or has a comprehensive knowledge of muscle imbalances relating to back pain. With that said the benefits are as follows. The root cause will be identified, your discomfort will be addressed and you root cause will be corrected all in an attempt to make you pain free and give you the tools you need to keep you that way. What to expect when you see a massage therapist.
All massage sessions are one on one allowing you the opportunity to converse with the therapist as well as get the attention you need to get results. You can ask questions about how you compare to other people. Feel free to ask the therapist what approach they will be taking so that you know what to expect. The massage therapist has many different techniques they can use when to dealing with you back pain and some are better than others. On the down side sometimes a therapist can get distracted with other problem areas, it is in your best interest to keep them focused on you back and associated problem areas. Like anything else you may need to try several different therapists before finding the one that works best for you and with you.
Post-rehabilitation Fitness Training
Another overlooked form of treatment that is very effective is post-rehabilitation fitness training. This includes targeted strength and flexibility work to correct / improve the individuals muscle imbalances. This service can only be performed by certified post-rehab fitness trainers and there are limitations to what they can do for you. For example, they can not diagnose a condition, prescribe any medications take x-rays, etc... however, if they are well trained they can pinpoint your muscle imbalances quickly and get you started on a fitness program that will restore balance to your body and likely eliminate your back pain.
Often times this can be combined with massage therapy and/or manual physical therapy for a total solution. If you decide to go this route, which I recommend you do, be sure to thoroughly check out the fitness trainer and ask to see their certification, insurance, references, etc.
Manual Physical (muscle) Therapy
Manual Physical Therapy is NOT the same as regular physical therapy... there are some major differences and here are just a few:
1. Manual therapy consists of hands on muscle work primarily whereas traditional physical therapy consists of heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc
2. Manual therapist will typically perform a much more thorough physical evaluation
3. Manual therapists will usually be able to spend more time with each patient
4. Manual therapy is more holistic in it's approach and focuses the body as a whole unit... something lacking from nearly all traditional treatments for back pain.
So before you say, "I've already tried physical therapy"... did you try manual physical therapy? They are two very different treatment approaches and I highly recommend you consider manual physical therapy.
Conclusion
As you can see traditional treatments are the main stay of modern medicine... not necessarily for the patients benefit, but it's just how the system works best for itself. The system will not change until the system is confronted with a very powerful competitive force. That force may well be complementary or alternative care from the likes of Personal Trainers, Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, Manual Physical Therapists, and the like.
So that's what we've tried to do... force change. The traditional treatments that people have been receiving for decades just doesn't work, and we have found a combination approach that not only works the best, but it's safe, natural, and inexpensive. Check out our "Lose the Back Pain" video now... it will show you how to identify the cause of your back pain and the show you the exact combination of steps to take to eliminate it.
If you have tried other treatments with little or no relief/improvement, you owe it to yourself to try this approach... so take charge of your health and get started now working towards not only a pain free back, but a healthy and balanced body! Only you can fix your back... all you need is the right approach!
Warning: This article is not intended to be medical advice however its intent is to make you a better, smatter and more informed client. The more you know and understand about your medical condition the better off you will be when it comes time to make the hard choices. As well as communicating with medical professionals.... believe me it will make a world of difference.
About The Author
Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist and he has helped hundreds of individuals to eliminate their back pain. Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain.
support@losethebackpain.com
Friday, 3 December 2010
Understanding Back Pain Causes And Treatment
Back pain affects nearly 80% of Americans and the most common form is Low Back Pain. Because you rely on your back for almost every move you make, it is vulnerable to injury. Back pain can even be disabling. It is one of the most common problems prompting a visit to your doctor and for missing work. In fact, it is the second highest cause of disability in persons under the age of 45.
Although people complain of back pain, it is not a diagnosis but rather a symptom of an underlying disorder. There are two types of back pain, acute and chronic. Acute back pain is pain with a new onset. It comes on suddenly, usually due to injury. This is the most common type of back pain. It is usually resolved in less than one month but no more than 6 weeks duration. Chronic pain is pain that can have a quick or slow onset, but it lingers for long periods of time. Although it may last three months or longer, some people experience a lifetime of chronic back pain. Chronic pain is the least common type of pain.
What Causes Back Pain?
To begin to understand the causes of back pain, we need to understand the spine. The back is made up of 33 vertebrae or bones. It is divided into 5 groups: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacrum and Coccyx. The cervical spine (upper back or neck) consists of 7 vertebrae. The thoracic(middle back) has 12, and the lumbar spine(low back) has 5 vertebrae. The sacrum consists of 5 fused vertebrae, and the coccyx(tail bone) has 4 vertebrae fused together.
The vertebrae are held together by ligaments and muscles with discs between the vertebrae. The discs are filled with a jellylike center, allowing them to act like a shock absorber. The vertebrae link together to provide stability and support. They protect the spinal cord and spinal nerves that run through the spinal canal.
Because the neurological system is complex, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of back pain. The causes of back pain are divided into categories: Mechanical, Injuries, Acquired disorders or diseases, Infections or tumors.
Mechanical causes: These are problems with how the spine works. For example
Spondylolistesis(deterioration of the disc one vertebrae to slip forward over another, causing the vertebrae to rub together, therefore causing pain). Other mechanical problems are fractures, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spinal degeneration and sciatica.
Injuries- This category includes common forms of back pain due to injury to the spine or the ligaments and muscles involved with the spine. Sprains, for example, result if a ligament that supports the spine is pulled or torn due to improper lifting or body mechanics, even twisting the wrong way, Fractures can occur from osteoarthritis which causes the bones to become brittle and weak. Sever injuries can result from an accident or fall.
Acquired disorders- These are medical problems that you might have been born with such as scoliosis(an abnormal curvature of the spine) to other problems that you acquired, such as arthritis(osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) which can lead to fractures; musculoskeletal pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis (Narrowing of the spinal canal putting pressure on spine or nerves); and even pregnancy.
Infection/Tumors- Infection, although not common, can cause pain if it involves the vertebrae. Two examples of this are Osteomyelitis(infection and inflammation of the vertebrae) and Discitis(infection in the discs).Tumors, although rare, can also cause back pain. These can be benign or cancerous, but usually result from a tumor that has spread from another area of the body.
How is back pain diagnosed?
In order for your physician to discuss the proper treatment for your back pain, he will need to do a thorough medical history and physical exam. You will need to give a clear concise description of your pain. Your physician will need to know how the pain started, what you were doing when it started, how severe it is, does it come and go or is it constant, and what makes the pain better or worse. You will need to undergo some diagnostic tests. Common tests done to diagnose back pain are x-rays, bone scans, and MRI's. These diagnose problems due to bone or soft tissue injuries. Your doctor may order blood and urine tests to look for infection. If your physician feels the pain might be caused by a nerve problem, then you will have an EMG(electromyography) or nerve study. An EMG is an assessment of the electrical impulses of nerves and the response of the muscles.
How is Back Pain Treated?
The common goals of treatment are to relieve back pain and to restore mobility. Treatment varies depending on the severity and type of injury. The most common and basic treatment used for strains or minor injury is Rest. Heat can be used to promote circulation to the area and relieve spasms. Cold packs can be used to decrease the swelling in the affected area of the back. Common OTC (over the counter) medications such as Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, and Aleve are prescribed to help the pain and inflammation.
Long term bed rest is not usually recommended because it can make recovery slower and can ultimately cause other problems. Usually the doctor will have you gradually resume normal activities after 24-72 hours of rest. He may start you on a physical therapy program which should include heat, massage, ultrasound and an individualized exercise regimen. If the pain does not subside and it is interfering with your normal daily activities, your doctor may order prescription pain medications such as Darvocet, Vicodin, or Percocet and anti-inflammatory agents to relieve muscle spasm.
If your pain becomes chronic and all other treatments have failed, your doctor may refer you to a Back or Pain specialist. Because the back is a complex entity, specialists are more up to date on new advances in the treatment of back pain. Some treatments you might encounter are epidural nerve block (injection of anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, or steroid into the epidural space of the back for long term pain relief)and trigger point injections(injection of steroids and anesthetic into the muscle that is triggering pain.)This should also provide long term pain relief. Other medications such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants have been found to help relieve pain caused by nerve injuries.
Other types of treatment include:
Use of TENS(transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit. Electrodes are placed on 2-3 painful areas of the back and attached to a unit that provides mild electrical stimulus to the area in order to relieve pain.
Chiropractic adjustments of the back.
Acupressure or acupuncture treatments.
Relaxation and breathing techniques and stress management instruction.
Massage and basic stretching exercises to promote mobility and relieve spasm.
Yoga-and Pilates- This can help relieve pain and stress. Some Yoga postures may help relieve low back pain and help improve strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga is good for stress reduction and can help with the psychological aspects of pain.
Aquatic or water therapy- This can be very beneficial in relieving pain and improving mobility in those with chronic low back pain. There is no resistance to movement in the water, and water is soothing, comforting, and relaxing for the body.
How can Back Pain be Prevented?
Although some people say that you can't avoid injuring your back, most doctors are in agreement that the common causes of back pain can be prevented by following a few lifestyle changes:
Exercise: You will need to consult your physician prior to starting an exercise program because there are some exercises, such as high impact aerobics and weight lifting that can make back pain worse. Other exercise, such as swimming, walking and biking can help overall health and strengthen the back. Nonetheless, exercise should not be avoided as it helps to improve overall health.
Lumbar support belts: Some people that work jobs that do heavy lifting on a daily basis are required to wear lumbar support and undergo back training on the job to learn how to prevent lifting injuries.
Do not wear high heels.
Keep head up and stomach in when standing. If standing for prolonged periods of time, place one foot up on a stool and alternate your weight frequently.
Sit in a chair with good lumbar support. Maintain good posture, sit up straight and keep both feet flat on the floor. Make a lumbar roll out of a rolled towel to place behind the low back when you drive or sit for prolonged periods of time.
Use proper body posture when lifting. Keep objects close to your body. Keep your back straight and your head up with stomach tucked in. Don't lift objects that are too heavy. Get help when lifting awkward or heavy objects. Don't bend forward to pick something up, rather bend at the knees and lift straight up from the knees.
In conclusion, back pain can be difficult to treat but there are many options out there for you. Specialists are finding new research every day. You can take care of your back by making good lifestyle changes and eliminating or reducing the amount of stress in your life. By maintaining good posture, using proper lifting techniques, and educating yourself on how to avoid back pain, you can prevent more back injury.
Kathleen Gadomski is an RN, entrepreneur and stay at home mom. If you would like to learn more about how she started a business from home and would like to become a member of her team, contact her at kgadomski@dreamsbycandlelight.com or visit her personal website at http://www.DreamsbyCandlelight.com
Although people complain of back pain, it is not a diagnosis but rather a symptom of an underlying disorder. There are two types of back pain, acute and chronic. Acute back pain is pain with a new onset. It comes on suddenly, usually due to injury. This is the most common type of back pain. It is usually resolved in less than one month but no more than 6 weeks duration. Chronic pain is pain that can have a quick or slow onset, but it lingers for long periods of time. Although it may last three months or longer, some people experience a lifetime of chronic back pain. Chronic pain is the least common type of pain.
What Causes Back Pain?
To begin to understand the causes of back pain, we need to understand the spine. The back is made up of 33 vertebrae or bones. It is divided into 5 groups: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacrum and Coccyx. The cervical spine (upper back or neck) consists of 7 vertebrae. The thoracic(middle back) has 12, and the lumbar spine(low back) has 5 vertebrae. The sacrum consists of 5 fused vertebrae, and the coccyx(tail bone) has 4 vertebrae fused together.
The vertebrae are held together by ligaments and muscles with discs between the vertebrae. The discs are filled with a jellylike center, allowing them to act like a shock absorber. The vertebrae link together to provide stability and support. They protect the spinal cord and spinal nerves that run through the spinal canal.
Because the neurological system is complex, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of back pain. The causes of back pain are divided into categories: Mechanical, Injuries, Acquired disorders or diseases, Infections or tumors.
Mechanical causes: These are problems with how the spine works. For example
Spondylolistesis(deterioration of the disc one vertebrae to slip forward over another, causing the vertebrae to rub together, therefore causing pain). Other mechanical problems are fractures, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spinal degeneration and sciatica.
Injuries- This category includes common forms of back pain due to injury to the spine or the ligaments and muscles involved with the spine. Sprains, for example, result if a ligament that supports the spine is pulled or torn due to improper lifting or body mechanics, even twisting the wrong way, Fractures can occur from osteoarthritis which causes the bones to become brittle and weak. Sever injuries can result from an accident or fall.
Acquired disorders- These are medical problems that you might have been born with such as scoliosis(an abnormal curvature of the spine) to other problems that you acquired, such as arthritis(osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) which can lead to fractures; musculoskeletal pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis (Narrowing of the spinal canal putting pressure on spine or nerves); and even pregnancy.
Infection/Tumors- Infection, although not common, can cause pain if it involves the vertebrae. Two examples of this are Osteomyelitis(infection and inflammation of the vertebrae) and Discitis(infection in the discs).Tumors, although rare, can also cause back pain. These can be benign or cancerous, but usually result from a tumor that has spread from another area of the body.
How is back pain diagnosed?
In order for your physician to discuss the proper treatment for your back pain, he will need to do a thorough medical history and physical exam. You will need to give a clear concise description of your pain. Your physician will need to know how the pain started, what you were doing when it started, how severe it is, does it come and go or is it constant, and what makes the pain better or worse. You will need to undergo some diagnostic tests. Common tests done to diagnose back pain are x-rays, bone scans, and MRI's. These diagnose problems due to bone or soft tissue injuries. Your doctor may order blood and urine tests to look for infection. If your physician feels the pain might be caused by a nerve problem, then you will have an EMG(electromyography) or nerve study. An EMG is an assessment of the electrical impulses of nerves and the response of the muscles.
How is Back Pain Treated?
The common goals of treatment are to relieve back pain and to restore mobility. Treatment varies depending on the severity and type of injury. The most common and basic treatment used for strains or minor injury is Rest. Heat can be used to promote circulation to the area and relieve spasms. Cold packs can be used to decrease the swelling in the affected area of the back. Common OTC (over the counter) medications such as Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, and Aleve are prescribed to help the pain and inflammation.
Long term bed rest is not usually recommended because it can make recovery slower and can ultimately cause other problems. Usually the doctor will have you gradually resume normal activities after 24-72 hours of rest. He may start you on a physical therapy program which should include heat, massage, ultrasound and an individualized exercise regimen. If the pain does not subside and it is interfering with your normal daily activities, your doctor may order prescription pain medications such as Darvocet, Vicodin, or Percocet and anti-inflammatory agents to relieve muscle spasm.
If your pain becomes chronic and all other treatments have failed, your doctor may refer you to a Back or Pain specialist. Because the back is a complex entity, specialists are more up to date on new advances in the treatment of back pain. Some treatments you might encounter are epidural nerve block (injection of anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, or steroid into the epidural space of the back for long term pain relief)and trigger point injections(injection of steroids and anesthetic into the muscle that is triggering pain.)This should also provide long term pain relief. Other medications such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants have been found to help relieve pain caused by nerve injuries.
Other types of treatment include:
Use of TENS(transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit. Electrodes are placed on 2-3 painful areas of the back and attached to a unit that provides mild electrical stimulus to the area in order to relieve pain.
Chiropractic adjustments of the back.
Acupressure or acupuncture treatments.
Relaxation and breathing techniques and stress management instruction.
Massage and basic stretching exercises to promote mobility and relieve spasm.
Yoga-and Pilates- This can help relieve pain and stress. Some Yoga postures may help relieve low back pain and help improve strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga is good for stress reduction and can help with the psychological aspects of pain.
Aquatic or water therapy- This can be very beneficial in relieving pain and improving mobility in those with chronic low back pain. There is no resistance to movement in the water, and water is soothing, comforting, and relaxing for the body.
How can Back Pain be Prevented?
Although some people say that you can't avoid injuring your back, most doctors are in agreement that the common causes of back pain can be prevented by following a few lifestyle changes:
Exercise: You will need to consult your physician prior to starting an exercise program because there are some exercises, such as high impact aerobics and weight lifting that can make back pain worse. Other exercise, such as swimming, walking and biking can help overall health and strengthen the back. Nonetheless, exercise should not be avoided as it helps to improve overall health.
Lumbar support belts: Some people that work jobs that do heavy lifting on a daily basis are required to wear lumbar support and undergo back training on the job to learn how to prevent lifting injuries.
Do not wear high heels.
Keep head up and stomach in when standing. If standing for prolonged periods of time, place one foot up on a stool and alternate your weight frequently.
Sit in a chair with good lumbar support. Maintain good posture, sit up straight and keep both feet flat on the floor. Make a lumbar roll out of a rolled towel to place behind the low back when you drive or sit for prolonged periods of time.
Use proper body posture when lifting. Keep objects close to your body. Keep your back straight and your head up with stomach tucked in. Don't lift objects that are too heavy. Get help when lifting awkward or heavy objects. Don't bend forward to pick something up, rather bend at the knees and lift straight up from the knees.
In conclusion, back pain can be difficult to treat but there are many options out there for you. Specialists are finding new research every day. You can take care of your back by making good lifestyle changes and eliminating or reducing the amount of stress in your life. By maintaining good posture, using proper lifting techniques, and educating yourself on how to avoid back pain, you can prevent more back injury.
Kathleen Gadomski is an RN, entrepreneur and stay at home mom. If you would like to learn more about how she started a business from home and would like to become a member of her team, contact her at kgadomski@dreamsbycandlelight.com or visit her personal website at http://www.DreamsbyCandlelight.com
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Understanding Chronic Treatment-Resistant Pain - Psychosomatic Back Pain
Science has demonstrated that there is an incredibly powerful link between the mind and the body. In many instances, the underlying cause of neck pain, back pain and sciatica, also referred to as the back pain complex, may be psychological. Many times, when an individual is in pain and told that it may be psychological or psychosomatic, the patient immediately becomes defensive, often stating, "It is not in my mind, the pain is real!"
The fact is, it is indeed very real, regardless of whether the pain is labeled as psychosomatic or not. When dealing with treatment-resistant, chronic pain the mind/body link must be explored, so it can be ruled out. In this article, we will discuss psychological pain, psychosomatic pain, and chronic psychological back pain.
While discussed in a previous article, we will also address, once again but briefly, the link between chronic back pain and depression. Chronic pain, in any form, can be the most insidious, debilitating, and disabling of any medical complaint. In order to fully treat the condition, underlying causality must be explored and diagnosed thoroughly. It is true that most cases of neck pain, back pain, and sciatica are or have their basis in an actual pathology or other physiological condition. However, psychological back pain is quite common and in fact is one of the primary causes of treatment-resistant chronic pain.
Unfortunately, when an illness is labeled psychosomatic there is often an immediate stigma or negative perception associated with it. Very often, when an individual suffering from neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica hears the term psychosomatic, they immediately respond defensively. When a condition is labeled as psychosomatic the connotation attached is that the condition is "all in the mind" or somehow "imaginary."
There is even a mental illness stigma attached, with the patient protesting, "I am not crazy, this pain is real!" Even people close, at times members of the individual's own family, will say unkind things like, "I knew he was faking it" or "I knew she was just trying to get attention, I felt sorry for her!" For these reasons and others, the resistance to a psychosomatic diagnosis is considerable, often socially and culturally based.
As discussed in a previous article, there is a powerful link between stress and psychosomatic illness, in this case neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica; or treatment-resistant chronic back pain. Additionally, the link between depression and psychosomatic illness, particularly as we age, is often quite powerful. Individuals suffering from psychosomatic illness may experience incredible pain or other physical manifestations or symptoms, with no physical diagnosis. Paradoxically, there are a number of physical conditions, such as brain injuries and vitamin deficiencies just to name two, which may exhibit profound psychological symptoms. However, it is often the case that many individuals exhibiting treatment-resistant chronic pain, with no underlying medical diagnosis, may have a psychological or psychosomatic condition.
Contrary to commonly held beliefs, pain that is the result of a psychosomatic condition, of an emotional or psychological process, is actually quite real. Psychosomatic pain, in this case treatment-resistant chronic back pain, is not imaginary, it is not "in our heads," it is not the result of a delusional or a sick mind, and it is not the consequence of mental illness. The fact is that anyone suffering from tension headaches, ulcers, colitis, tension backaches, and a myriad of other stress-related illnesses has a psychosomatic condition. Clearly, all of these individuals are not "crazy." I suppose the best way for an individual to understand just how real psychosomatic pain can be is to have them think back to their last tension headache and ask a single, quite simple question: "Was the pain real?"
Psychological back pain is simply another name for psychosomatic back pain and is sometimes referred to as stress-induced back pain. Once again, pain associated with this condition is indeed very real. While the pain may ultimately be linked to the mind/body link, the physical expression of pain, whether the pain is neck pain, back pain or sciatica, may be debilitating and disabling. Consequently, dealing with psychosomatic, treatment-resistance chronic pain is often difficult, if not close to impossible, without effectively dealing with the underlying condition. As a noted evolutionary scientist once pointed out, psychosomatic pain may be considered an evolutionary anomaly but it is completely human and utterly normal. As our system, and that includes our mind, becomes overloaded, it seeks to alleviate or eliminate the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Unfortunately for the patient, it does this by shifting focus away from the actual cause, the real danger, expressing it in a very uncomfortable, often intense fashion; and, in this case through chronic treatment-resistant back pain.
Psychosomatic pain is the most frequently diagnosed and least understood form of both acute and chronic back pain. Significantly, most treatment-resistant chronic back pain sufferers, those with unresolved back pain, meaning that there is no clear diagnosis, by definition suffer from an underlying and misdiagnosed psychological ailment or condition. While medical schools are beginning to address this very significant medical issue, psychosomatic illness has long been relegated to the back burner of medical education.
Consequently, medical practitioners are simply not prepared for or able to understand, much less treat, this condition. As a result, many individuals are misdiagnosed with this "scapegoat condition," leaving individuals with very real physiological, structural, and medical conditions undiagnosed.
Unfortunately, while solutions are available, they are still relatively unknown. As the medical community begins to educate itself, so they can be better prepared to deal with this condition, we are beginning to see the first steps towards a holistic approach to this problem. Psychosomatic medicine has been talked about for centuries, even Sigmund Freud was fascinated by it in his time, yet it is only in the last few years that we see a real movement to deal with this ongoing epidemic. Treatment-resistance chronic pain sufferers, particularly those individuals with an extended history of unresolved and undiagnosed pain, are most likely to exhibit a myriad of medical complaints to include ulcers, colitis, and depression, just to name a few. The combination of unresolved neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica and depression leads to profound consequences for the individual, the family, the community, and even the state. The impact of this poorly understood and often misdiagnosed condition or set of conditions ripples throughout the system with consequences far beyond those of a medical nature.
Ultimately, and until such time as the underlying condition has been diagnosed, treated, and eliminated, symptoms must be recognized and alleviated. For this reason, it is advisable for the individual to begin a wide-ranging, individualized, and medically supervised program to deal with both symptoms expressed and causality yet undetermined. Exercise, in and of itself, will have a remarkable and immediate impact on most individuals. Not only will an exercise program, properly administered and supervised, do wonders to alleviate stress, it will also serve to improve self-esteem and self-confidence. With exercise, particularly until the musculature adapts and adjusts to the new routine, certain other measures will need to be taken. The additional treatment strategies to be initiated, along with the exercise program, should include a stretching program, 2 to 3 times a day (see: "Simple and Easy Program of Exercise for Sciatica Relief... Part I & Part II"). Self-education, both individually and in a group setting, will also enhance understanding, self-knowledge, and self-esteem. Most importantly, either individual or group therapy should be initiated in order to comes to grips with the underlying issues contributing to the unresolved and/or misdiagnosed psychosomatic pain condition. The concert of bad back strategies will do wonders to alleviate symptoms, ultimately leading to a resolution when used along side of a solid therapy program to understand underlying stressors which resulted in the back pain complex of neck pain, back pain, and sciatica.
For further information and an intelligent program of treatment for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, what I refer to as the "back pain complex" try the program below:
http://www.TheBackPainGuy.info
For additional resources dealing with neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, including additional treatment plans and a community for support; an awesome resource for New Balance running shoes, great for heel cushioning and a must for anyone suffering from neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica; ice-compression braces, crucial for inflammation and swelling; orthotics for the times when the New Balance can't be worn; and, natural antinflammatories for the back pain complex:
Go to:
http://www.UltimateBadBackStrategies.com
John P. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
The fact is, it is indeed very real, regardless of whether the pain is labeled as psychosomatic or not. When dealing with treatment-resistant, chronic pain the mind/body link must be explored, so it can be ruled out. In this article, we will discuss psychological pain, psychosomatic pain, and chronic psychological back pain.
While discussed in a previous article, we will also address, once again but briefly, the link between chronic back pain and depression. Chronic pain, in any form, can be the most insidious, debilitating, and disabling of any medical complaint. In order to fully treat the condition, underlying causality must be explored and diagnosed thoroughly. It is true that most cases of neck pain, back pain, and sciatica are or have their basis in an actual pathology or other physiological condition. However, psychological back pain is quite common and in fact is one of the primary causes of treatment-resistant chronic pain.
Unfortunately, when an illness is labeled psychosomatic there is often an immediate stigma or negative perception associated with it. Very often, when an individual suffering from neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica hears the term psychosomatic, they immediately respond defensively. When a condition is labeled as psychosomatic the connotation attached is that the condition is "all in the mind" or somehow "imaginary."
There is even a mental illness stigma attached, with the patient protesting, "I am not crazy, this pain is real!" Even people close, at times members of the individual's own family, will say unkind things like, "I knew he was faking it" or "I knew she was just trying to get attention, I felt sorry for her!" For these reasons and others, the resistance to a psychosomatic diagnosis is considerable, often socially and culturally based.
As discussed in a previous article, there is a powerful link between stress and psychosomatic illness, in this case neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica; or treatment-resistant chronic back pain. Additionally, the link between depression and psychosomatic illness, particularly as we age, is often quite powerful. Individuals suffering from psychosomatic illness may experience incredible pain or other physical manifestations or symptoms, with no physical diagnosis. Paradoxically, there are a number of physical conditions, such as brain injuries and vitamin deficiencies just to name two, which may exhibit profound psychological symptoms. However, it is often the case that many individuals exhibiting treatment-resistant chronic pain, with no underlying medical diagnosis, may have a psychological or psychosomatic condition.
Contrary to commonly held beliefs, pain that is the result of a psychosomatic condition, of an emotional or psychological process, is actually quite real. Psychosomatic pain, in this case treatment-resistant chronic back pain, is not imaginary, it is not "in our heads," it is not the result of a delusional or a sick mind, and it is not the consequence of mental illness. The fact is that anyone suffering from tension headaches, ulcers, colitis, tension backaches, and a myriad of other stress-related illnesses has a psychosomatic condition. Clearly, all of these individuals are not "crazy." I suppose the best way for an individual to understand just how real psychosomatic pain can be is to have them think back to their last tension headache and ask a single, quite simple question: "Was the pain real?"
Psychological back pain is simply another name for psychosomatic back pain and is sometimes referred to as stress-induced back pain. Once again, pain associated with this condition is indeed very real. While the pain may ultimately be linked to the mind/body link, the physical expression of pain, whether the pain is neck pain, back pain or sciatica, may be debilitating and disabling. Consequently, dealing with psychosomatic, treatment-resistance chronic pain is often difficult, if not close to impossible, without effectively dealing with the underlying condition. As a noted evolutionary scientist once pointed out, psychosomatic pain may be considered an evolutionary anomaly but it is completely human and utterly normal. As our system, and that includes our mind, becomes overloaded, it seeks to alleviate or eliminate the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Unfortunately for the patient, it does this by shifting focus away from the actual cause, the real danger, expressing it in a very uncomfortable, often intense fashion; and, in this case through chronic treatment-resistant back pain.
Psychosomatic pain is the most frequently diagnosed and least understood form of both acute and chronic back pain. Significantly, most treatment-resistant chronic back pain sufferers, those with unresolved back pain, meaning that there is no clear diagnosis, by definition suffer from an underlying and misdiagnosed psychological ailment or condition. While medical schools are beginning to address this very significant medical issue, psychosomatic illness has long been relegated to the back burner of medical education.
Consequently, medical practitioners are simply not prepared for or able to understand, much less treat, this condition. As a result, many individuals are misdiagnosed with this "scapegoat condition," leaving individuals with very real physiological, structural, and medical conditions undiagnosed.
Unfortunately, while solutions are available, they are still relatively unknown. As the medical community begins to educate itself, so they can be better prepared to deal with this condition, we are beginning to see the first steps towards a holistic approach to this problem. Psychosomatic medicine has been talked about for centuries, even Sigmund Freud was fascinated by it in his time, yet it is only in the last few years that we see a real movement to deal with this ongoing epidemic. Treatment-resistance chronic pain sufferers, particularly those individuals with an extended history of unresolved and undiagnosed pain, are most likely to exhibit a myriad of medical complaints to include ulcers, colitis, and depression, just to name a few. The combination of unresolved neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica and depression leads to profound consequences for the individual, the family, the community, and even the state. The impact of this poorly understood and often misdiagnosed condition or set of conditions ripples throughout the system with consequences far beyond those of a medical nature.
Ultimately, and until such time as the underlying condition has been diagnosed, treated, and eliminated, symptoms must be recognized and alleviated. For this reason, it is advisable for the individual to begin a wide-ranging, individualized, and medically supervised program to deal with both symptoms expressed and causality yet undetermined. Exercise, in and of itself, will have a remarkable and immediate impact on most individuals. Not only will an exercise program, properly administered and supervised, do wonders to alleviate stress, it will also serve to improve self-esteem and self-confidence. With exercise, particularly until the musculature adapts and adjusts to the new routine, certain other measures will need to be taken. The additional treatment strategies to be initiated, along with the exercise program, should include a stretching program, 2 to 3 times a day (see: "Simple and Easy Program of Exercise for Sciatica Relief... Part I & Part II"). Self-education, both individually and in a group setting, will also enhance understanding, self-knowledge, and self-esteem. Most importantly, either individual or group therapy should be initiated in order to comes to grips with the underlying issues contributing to the unresolved and/or misdiagnosed psychosomatic pain condition. The concert of bad back strategies will do wonders to alleviate symptoms, ultimately leading to a resolution when used along side of a solid therapy program to understand underlying stressors which resulted in the back pain complex of neck pain, back pain, and sciatica.
For further information and an intelligent program of treatment for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, what I refer to as the "back pain complex" try the program below:
http://www.TheBackPainGuy.info
For additional resources dealing with neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, including additional treatment plans and a community for support; an awesome resource for New Balance running shoes, great for heel cushioning and a must for anyone suffering from neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica; ice-compression braces, crucial for inflammation and swelling; orthotics for the times when the New Balance can't be worn; and, natural antinflammatories for the back pain complex:
Go to:
http://www.UltimateBadBackStrategies.com
John P. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Effective Lower Back Pain Remedies
Almost 80 percent of people around the world suffer from lower back pain. Back pain can persist for hours, days or even longer. This may be due to some underlying causes and pack pain is only a symptom.
Possible causes of lower back pain are as follows:
* Sciatica * Injury due to accidents * Herniated discs * Arthritis * Osteoporosis * Pregnancy * Obesity
These are just some that would reason severe lower back pain in people.
If there are causes of pain in the back, surely; there are also effective treatments. To make it easier for you, here are the effective back pain remedies.
Back pain exercises can be beneficial in relieving lower back pain. It stretches the bones in the back and it also helps in improving blood circulation. Try these back exercises to relieve you from pain. * Wall squats * Leg raises * Hamstring stretch * Cat stretch * Knee to chest workouts * Lumbar extension
For obese people, the best thing to do is to lose some weight to lessen down the pressure in the back that causes lower back pain. Proper diet should also be included to treat back ailments. Calcium and protein rich foods are needed to build up muscle tissues and help bones to be stronger.
Herbal remedies can also apply to treat back pain. Try these herbs to treat lower back pain.
* Ginger - Slightly ground the ginger roots and apply to the affected area on the back. * Capsaicin - Capsaicin or chili peppers release a natural "heat" and it can be placed on the back part of the body. * Chamomile - Can be used as tea to relax the muscles.= * Mustard seeds - Mustard seeds also releases an intense natural heat that can be applied to the back.
Over the counter medicines can also be of help to treat lower back pain. Analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and pain killers are just some to treat backache temporarily. It is advisable to consult the doctor first because you might be allergic to these kinds of medicines.
Acupuncture is a non-surgical method to alleviate lower back pain. Needles are used to prick the points in the skin that blocks the energy flow of the body. Although it is absurd, but it is proven by some and it is also scientifically studied to cure certain types of ailments.
Hot and cold therapy is also an effective method to help heal lower back pain. A heat pad or an ice pack can be placed to the lower back. You can also combine the two methods to cure the ailment temporarily.
Total rest should be done so that backache is alleviated. You can lay flat on the bed and place a pillow under your knees. In this way, proper blood circulation is attained therefore relieving you from lower back pain.
All these methods and techniques can be implemented to treat lower back pain. But right consultation to the doctor should be your first priority for correct diagnosis of the pain in the back.
How to end your back pain problems as fast as possible. Learn the secrets from a 'survivor' of back pain at http://www.removemybackpain.com/backpaincure
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