Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most frequent health complaints, and can affect anyone regardless of age or gender, though is more common in mature adults. It also varies in intensity and duration, making it difficult to pinpoint a singular cause for its onset.

The symptoms of the condition may vary for each person. The most frequent symptom that people experience is a stabbing pain in the muscles of the lower back; this feeling can intensify and radiate lower towards the legs. As a result, people may find it hard to maintain a straight posture and their movement may also become affected. 

Back pain could be due to an injury, bad posture, or heavy lifting; however, the condition may be an indication of other complications in the body. It could indicate the onset of osteoarthritis, a condition characterized by the breakdown of cartilage, which results in the bones rubbing against each other. It could also hint at a problem with the disks in your spine. These disks normally act as cushions for your body weight; a slippage or break in them can cause severe discomfort for an individual.

If your doctor suspects that the cause of your back pain is something other than a spasm of the muscles, an X-ray or MRI may be conducted. Similarly, a bone density scan may be carried out to rule out the possibility of osteoporosis.

While the instinctive response to back pain is to sit down or rest for a while, doctors prescribe the exact opposite as a treatment option. Moderate activity helps keep the muscles active; if you take to resting for extended periods of time, the stiffness may further limit your movement. In cases of mild discomfort, taking painkillers like acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory medication may work, but if your pain is quite intense these drugs will not be as effective. In the event that your pain is being caused by a ruptured or slipped disk, corrective surgery may be prescribed to rectify the problem. Surgery, however, is a fairly uncommon treatment option and is only used for specific cases.