BACK PAIN

The severity and signs vary from person to person, it can radiate down your leg or worsen with movements like bending, twisting, walking, lifting, or even standing for a longer duration. Sometimes a person may feel a stabbing and burning sensation during chronic back pain.

Along with back pain, other symptoms that can be witnessed are;

• Soreness or swelling around the affected area
• Difficulty in performing routine activities
• Pain in the leg or foot
• Pain on only one side of the buttock
• Tingling or numbness in the lower body or limbs
• Irregular shooting pain
• Difficulty in controlling functions of bowel and bladder

Back Pain Treatment

Acute pain in the back can be temporarily relieved by hot and cold compresses. One should not neglect to go for a proper diagnosis that can provide you instant and long-term relief from your lingering aches. There are plenty of non-surgical treatment methods offered these days to address back pain. However, to relieve back pain one must need a more holistic and long-lasting approach under specialist supervision. Some popular treatment options applied are;

Exercises & Physical Therapy:

Strengthening your lower back and abdominal muscles is the ultimate step to get relief from persistent back pain. Some exercises are advised which are focused on increasing your flexibility. Other activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, can give positive results but should be performed after consulting your doctor.

Posture Correction:

One vital step for treating back pain is ‘Posture correction or posture improvement’. It is an important factor to keep the many intricate structures in the back and spine healthy. You will be either given external supporting equipment like a posture corrector or lumbar support to correct your deformed posture.

Device-based therapy

Usually, the weak muscles and tissues located in the lower back are identified and treated in isolation. Over a period of time, they are strengthened and degeneration is arrested. Device-based therapy is an effective way of relieving pain, improving function, and reducing disability in patients with low back pain.

Lifestyle changes

Sometimes restriction to motion can cause lower back pain for which engaging in physical activities can be beneficial to bring flexibility and stability to your muscles. Also while working consider taking postural breaks and following ergonomics correction to prevent having long-lasting pains.

When to see a Specialist?

While back pain looks like an everyday issue, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Sometimes we overlook other alarming signs that may appear along with backache. If such things are happening for a considerable time period, then you should consult your physician or spine specialist and get suitable treatment immediately.

Signs to observe before consulting a doctor:

• Fever along with shooting, stabbing back pain
• A recent injury caused back pain
• Weakness or numbness in one or both the legs
• Increasing bowel or bladder issues
• Sudden & unexplained weight loss

If back pain persists over a few weeks and doesn’t improve with rest and first-aid methods, then it’s time to seek professional help. 

References – 

• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172943
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6251828/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906