ALTERNATIVE THERAPY SERIES NO: 21 BACK PROBLEMS

Kay Kay Healthcare Ltd.

BACK PROBLEMS

SYMPTOMS


• Persistent aching or stiffness any -where along your spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.

• Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back, especially after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity.

• Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or standing for extended periods.



WHAT IS BACK PROBLEMS

Back problems are the most common physical complaints among American adults. Non-specific back pain is a leading cause of lost job time, to say nothing of the time and money spent in search of relief. And it’s all because of one characteristic that makes us different from other animals our upright posture.

The spinal column is an extraordinary mechanism, providing the stability we use to stand upright and the flexibility we need for active movement. The spine, or backbone, is actually a stack of 24 individual bones called vertebrae. A healthy spine is S- shape when view from the side, curving back at the shoulders and inward at the neck and small of the back. As well as being the body’s main structural member, it houses the spinal cord the intricate sensory network that runs through the vertebrae to transmit feeling and control movement throughout the entire body.

The main reason late 20th century American suffer from back problems is that we are increasingly defying our evolutionary heritage and becoming sedentary creatures. The upright posture is design for walking, and for most of human history that’s what people did. Only in this century, with the advent of motor vehicles, have most people gone from place to place while sitting down. In much the same way, our works habits are changing. Most of our ancestors worked standing up hunting, gathering, working on farms, or at work benches. Today, a high proportion of people spend the better part of their working day sitting at desks, at work stations, or in cars and trucks. These recent but momentous changes in human behavior have had profound and largely negative impact on human physiology.

People who walk a lot or do physical labor develop good muscle tone in their backs and legs. People who sit most of the day lose that muscle tone, and their backs are the first place to show it. To compensate, many of us turn to exercise programs: In some instinctual way, we are hearing our body cry out for the old ways that demanded more activity. If you are healthy, active adult and your normal activities keep you on the go, you may not need special exercise routine; if you work in a sedentary job or if you aren’t building several hours of walking or other physical activity into your weekly routine, you should exercise regularly, with emphasis on toning up those muscles that keep your back strong.


CAUSES

Back problems rank high on the list of ailments that are self infected. Most of our back troubles happen because of bad habits, generally develop over a long period of time: poor posture; overexertion in work and play; sitting incorrectly at desk or the steering wheel; pushing, pulling, and lifting things carelessly. Sometimes the effect are immediate, but in many cases back problems develop overtime. The most common type of back pain are come from straining the bands of muscles surrounding the spine. Although such strain can occur anywhere along the spine, they happen most often in the curve of the lower back; the next is most common place at the base of neck.

Sometimes however, backache occurs for no apparent reason. Non-specific backache may develop from weakened muscle that cannot handle everyday walking, bending, and stretching. In other cases, the discomfort seems come from or is aggravated by general tension, lack of sleep, or stress, much like a tension headache. A conditional called fibrositis causes chronic backache from localized muscles tension, which may in turn be psychosomatic in origin. Whether the muscle strains is from lifting heavy objects or something as innocuous as a sneeze make little difference to the suffer the pain can agonizing.

Pregnancy commonly brings on back pain, as the developing fetus, hormonal changes, and attendant weight gain put new kinds of stresses on a pregnant woman’s spine and legs. Injuries from contact sports, accidents, and falls can cause all manner of problems, from minor muscle strain to sever damage to the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself.



DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST PROCEDURES

Unless you are totally immobilized from back injury, your doctor will probably test your range of motion and nerve function, and the area of discomfort. Blood and urine test will make sure the pain is not due to an infection or other systematic problems. X-rays are useful in pinpointing broken bones or other skeletal defects, and can sometimes help locate problem in the connective tissues. To analyze short tissue damage, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be necessary. To determine potential abnormality affecting nerve and muscle stimuli, an electromyogram (EMG) can be useful.



TREATMENT

Because back problem stem from variety of causes, some of which may not be readily apparent, conventional medical treatment and alternative therapies share a common pattern of pain relief, rest, and suitable restoration of movement.



CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

The basic treatment for reliving back pain from strain or minor injury is immediate bed rest with an ice pack and aspirin or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to reduce pain and inflammation. After the inflammation sub sides, applying heat can soothe and restore muscle and connective tissues.

When back pain become truly mobilizing, the doctor will probably prescribe an appropriate over the counter or prescription pain killer and possibly a muscle relaxant. Some muscle relaxant such as methocarbamol or cyclobenzaprine may cause nausea, disorientation , and drowsiness as a side effects, but such medication are usually recommended only for a few days. To relive inflammation

And inhibit the patients pain perception in severe cases, therapy may include an injection of local anesthetic such as lidocaine in combination with a corticosteroid into the tissue around the affected area or into trigger points elsewhere in the body. For relief of chronic back pain, low doses of antidepressant medication are sometimes prescribed.

Long term bed rest is no longer considered necessary for most cases of back pain. Indeed, the lack of activity may actually contribute to recurring back problems. In most cases, you will be expected to start normal, non-strenuous activity within 24 to 72 hours, after which control exercise or physical therapy should begin. Physical therapy treatment may employ message, ultrasounds, whirlpool baths, controlled application of heat, and specifically tailored exercise programs to help patient regain full use of the back.

In addition, some physicians especially those in sports medicine advocate using trascutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS). Electrodes taped to the body carry a mild electric current that help relieve pain. After appropriate training, patient can use a TENS on their own to help speed recovery of strained or moderately injured backs.

Surgery for non-specific back pain is last resort. In cases of persistent pain from extreme nerve damage, rhizotomy surgically severing a nerve may be necessary to stop transmission of pain to the brain. Rhizotomy can correct the symptoms cause by friction between the surface in a spinal joint, but it dosent address other problems such as herniated disks.



ALTERNATIVE CHOCE

Alternative therapies can be directing toward reliving the immediate discomfort of back problem as well as conditioning and strengthening the body to prevent recurrence.



ACUPESSURE

To relive lower back pain, apply 60 seconds of thumbs pressure on either side of the spine just above the top of the pelvic bone, then message at this point, as well as at hip and knee joints.


ACUPUNCTURE

Some people trouble by back problem praise acupuncture for pain relief. In the hands of trained acupuncturist, needle therapy is believed to redirect energy flow and balance throughout the body, not simply to relive immediate or chronic back pain. Therapies involve inserting needles into points in specific muscles and the ear to relive blockage in the energy channel associated with back pain. Acute problem can be relived in 1 to 4 session, while chronic pain problems typically require 12 or more treatments.


BODY WORK

Massage of the muscles along both side of the spine helps relieve tension and restore mobility, especially in area that feel tight or hard. To avoid potential damage to the spinal cord, a strained physical therapy or massage therapist is careful not to exert direct pressure on the vertebrae themselves.

the Alexander technique and the feldenkrais method are useful for corrective whole body positioning, not simply to correct posture but to relive chronic tension and stress.


CHIROPRACTIC

Relief of back problems is the chiropractor stock in trade: it is estimated that more people see chiropractors for back problems than for all other ailments combine. Chiropractic spinal manipulation has been recognized by the U.S. agency for health care policy and research as an effective therapy for acute low back pain.

Traditional chiropractic therapy relies on spinal manipulation to correct subluxations, or misaligned vertebrae, which may be responsible for problem along the spine. By helping restore motion to poorly functioning vertebrae, chiropractic therapy diminishes the accompanying pain and muscle spasm.

Chiropractors who use mixed therapies may rely on x-rays and other conventional diagnostic method to treat back pain, combining spinal manipulation with muscle massage, ultrasound stimulation of deep tissue, nutritional recommendation, and exercise. For people wary becoming dependent on painkillers and muscle relaxants for chronic back problems, modern chiropractic treatment offer a drug free option to pain relief.


HERBAL THERAPIES

For general pain relief, drink infusions of white willow (Salix alba) or vervain (verbena officinalis). For inflammation, try teas brewed from lobelia (lobelia inflate), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), cramp (viburnum opulus), or white willow. Valerian (valerian officinalis), available as a tincture and in capsule, is particularly recommended as a muscle relaxant and sedative.



HOMEOPATHY

Over the counter remedies reported to help non specific back problems include Arnica for bruised or sore muscle, Bryonia and Rhus toxicodendron for sharp pain that gets worse when you move, and Nux Vomica for persistent backache.


MIND BODY MEDICINE

Biofeedback therapy, using carefully monitored low level electrical impulses, is reported to help back pain sufferers. The special equipments translates muscle tension into audible signal. Patient learn to slow the signal and relax the muscle. Guided imagery treatment may have similar results without the use of electronic equipment.


OSTEOPATHY

Osteopathy treatment is likely to combine drug therapy with spinal manipulation or traction, followed by physical therapy and exercise. More and more doctors and physical therapist are using spinal manipulation techniques as a part of back pain therapy. The U.S. government has recognized spinal manipulation by osteopaths and chiropractors as being highly effective in treating many back problems.



PREVENTION

The most important preventive measure for lower back pain is practicing good posture when standing and sitting.

First, analyze your posture by standing with your heels against a wall. Your calves, buttocks, shoulder, and the back of your head should touch the wall, and you should be able to slip your hand behind the small of your back. Then step forward and stand normally: if your posture changes , correct it right away. If you stand for long periods at work, wear flat shoes with good arch support and get a box or step about six inches high to rest one foot on time to time.

Your sitting posture may be even more important. A good chair bottoms supports your hips comfortably but dosen’t touch the backs of your knees. Your chair backs should be at an angle about 10 degree and should cradle the small of your back comfortably;

When you have to lift heavy objects, don’t bent at the waist. Squat with your legs, keep your back upright as you grasp the object, and stand upright again. Let your legs do the lifting, not your back. A nonprescription back brace may also give support and prevent back strain; its main benefit is that it won’t let bend over at the waist. Use a back brace sparingly: long term use can make you dependent on it and may eventually lead to weaker not stronger back muscles.