Back Pain: How to take care of it?

Almost everyone gets back pain problems at one time or another. You might sleep awkwardly or wrench your back while lifting something heavy or you might hurt your back in an accident.

As people get older, chances of getting lower back pain increase. Lower back pain may be linked to the bony lumbar spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, lower back muscles, abdominal and pelvic internal organs, and the skin around the lumbar area.

Pain in the upper back may be due to disorders of the aorta, tumors in the chest, and spine inflammation.

Causes:

Frequent causes of back pain are strained muscles or ligaments, muscle spasm / tension due to lifting something heavy improperly or making an abrupt and awkward movement, damaged disks, injuries, fractures, or falls.

Other causes are:  ruptured disks, bulging disks, Sciatica, Arthritis, Abnormal curvature of the spine, Osteoporosis, Kidney stones or infection, cancer of the spine and Infection of the spine or nerves.

Prevention:

While back pain is mostly manageable, one should follow the below methods to help prevent it.

Exercise: Regular exercise helps build strength and two main types of exercise help reduce the risk of back pain:

• Core-strengthening exercises work the abdominal and back muscles, helping to strengthen muscles that protect the back.
• Flexibility training aims at improving core flexibility, including the spine, hips, and upper legs.

Diet: Your diet should include enough calcium and vitamin D to maintain good bone health.

Smoking: More smokers have back pain than non-smokers so quitting smoking is a good idea.

Body weight: Higher body weight increases chances of back pain.

Correct Posture when standing, sitting, lifting weights is essential in preventing back pain. Do not lift and twist at the same time, push rather than pull heavy objects and use your leg muscles to do so wherever possible instead of bending your back.

Treatment:

You should consult an expert Orthopedic surgeon like Dr Arunava Lala, if your back pain has symptoms like numbness in the legs, hip or any other area, weakness, fever, or unexplained weight loss.

Dr Lala is currently one of the best Orthopedic Surgeons in Kolkata who can correctly diagnose the root cause of your back pan and provide effective long term solutions. After the initial physical examination, Dr Lala may suggest an X-ray, MRI or CT scan and in some cases, Bone scan or EMG to determine the true cause of the pain.

Treatment of back pain may include prescribed medication, ultrasound, physiotherapy techniques like Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), flexibility and strength exercises for the back and abdominal muscles, posture improving techniques and Cortisone injections.

If a patient has a herniated disk, your orthopedic might suggest Surgery as an option, especially if there is persistent pain and nerve compression which can lead to muscle weakness.

Examples of surgical procedures include:-

• Fusion: Two vertebrae are joined together with metal plates, screws or cages, with a bone graft inserted between them.
• Artificial disk: An artificial disk is inserted; it replaces the cushion between two vertebrae.
• Diskectomy: A portion of a disk may be removed if it is irritating or pressing against a nerve.
• Partially removing a vertebra: A small section of a vertebra may be removed if it is pinching the spinal cord or nerves.

Dr Arunava Lala and his expert team offers effective treatment to scores of patients with both chronic and acute back pain and helps them lead healthy and pain – free lives!