Back Pain Treatment

Overview

Back pain is very common condition that people experience and usually subsides within weeks or months. Pain in the lower back or lumbago is most common. But the affected person can feel it anywhere along the spine starting from neck to hips. Majority of cases, pain is not serious, nor indicates something serious and the condition improves with time gradually. In some cases, pain becomes severe and keeps coming back repeatedly.

How does your back work?

To know about back pain, one should understand about human back and how it does it work. The human back is a complex structure and provides support to the legs, arms, skull, ribcage, and pelvis.

The spine is composed of several vertebrae. These vertebrae are stacked to form a more or less ‘S’-shaped column. Each vertebra is supported by spongy tissue known as intervertebral discs. These discs absorb shocks and provide the spine with the required flexibility. Vertebrae are joined by small joints and are called ‘facet’ joints. Ligaments, a group of connective tissue hold the spine together.

What back pain occurs?

The causes of back pain are not fully ascertained yet. Of course, it doesn’t make any significant damage to the spine. The pain actually comes from the muscles, ligaments & joints. The common causes for which the back pain arise:

• Regular heavy lifting
• Instant unusual or awkward movement
• Not doing enough physical activity or sedentary life style
• Poor positioning
• Overweight or obesity
• Stress muscle tension
• Arthritis, including Osteoarthritis and Spondylitis
• Sciatica
• Spinal stenosis
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Treatment

There is early recovery from normal or acute back pain whether people take medical help or manage themselves. People with back pain can often return to their normal activities as soon as possible. Rest can be a factor to get temporary relief from back pain. For acute, severe or prolonged pain, the following effective treatments can be given:

• Exercise therapy guided by a physiotherapist
• Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) involves working with a mental health professional
• Multidisciplinary pain management
• In rare cases surgery is required if there is nerve compression present.

Contact Dr. Akhila Kumar Panda, Director at NEUMED Center for Neurology, Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.