Pain Management and Pain Relief Information

Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

It is an almost universally held concept among surgeons and patients that a specific structural lesion is usually the source of pain. If that lesion can be identified and repaired, the pain will resolve. This seems plausible. It seems likely in light of the intensity of back pain that a diagnostic test ought to be able to identify the source of intense pain and point to a solution.

During my first seven years of practice it was my assumption that if a patient had experienced low back pain for six months then it was my role to simply find the anatomic source of pain and surgically solve it. I was diligent in this regard. The test I relied on most heavily was a discogram. It is a test where dye is injected into several discs in your lower back. If the patient’s usual pain was produced at a low injection pressure it was considered a positive response. The only patients I did not fuse were those who did not have a positive response or had more than two levels that were positive. I performed dozens of low back fusions and felt frustrated when I could not find a way to surgically solve my patients’ low back pain.

I have a physiatrist friend, Jim Robinson, who is a strong supporter and contributor to the DOCC project. From 1986 to 1992 we both served on the Washington State Worker’s Compensation clinical advisory board in regards to setting standards for various orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures. Our discussions were based on this assumption that there always was an identifiable “pain generator.” It was just a matter of figuring out what test was the best one to delineate it. We did not think in terms of structural versus non-structural sources of pain. We knew about the role of psychosocial stress but did not fully appreciate how large a role it played.

You are not a machine. Machines cannot experience pain. They do not have pain fibers, a nervous system, emotions, hormones, or memory. There is nothing in the mechanical world that remotely resembles the pain experience. Unless there is a specific identifiable structural problem, you cannot take yourself to the “body shop” and have your pain removed.

physiatrist: a physician that is specially trained in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) – a branch of rehabilitative medicine that focuses on enhancing and restoring functional ability and quality of life for those with physical disabilities or impairments. Physiatrists focus intently on helping patients to regain optimal bodily function after suffering a muscle, bone, tissue, and / or nervous system injury (ex: patients who have suffered a stroke). Physiatrists are sometimes referred to as rehabilitative medicine specialists.

discogram: an invasive diagnostic evaluation procedure that is utilized in conjunction with intervertebral disc pathology. Usually reserved for persons with persistent, severe lower back pain who have abnormal spaces between their vertebra – usually determined by an MRI, if other diagnostic tests have failed to reveal clear confirmation as to the source of the lower back pain. At this point, surgical intervention may be necessary in order to relieve the pain.

Don’t feel alone if you have experienced back pain in your life: Four out of five people experience back pain at some point. It is surprisingly the fifth most common reason that people visit the doctor. Back pain takes many forms, ranging from a persistent dull ache to sudden sharp pain, and it also has many causes. Many people experience back pain because they are sedentary, overweight or have had a history of back problems. It can result from a sprain, fracture, or other accidental injury or from a disease or medical condition, such as spinal stenosis, arthritis or fibromyalgia. The good news is that most of the time, lower back pain usually gets better within a few days or weeks, and surgery is rarely necessary.

Use the following simple self-help strategies to help prevent back pain and stop it from coming back to cause problems in your busy life:

1. Incorporate more exercise in your life. When you have back pain you may assume that you need to rest to make it feel better. And in fact one or two days might help, but any more than that and you could increase your pain. Being physically active could actually help to relive your pain as long as it is not too strenuous and it incorporates both the posterior and anterior muscle groups in your core area. Exercise can help ease inflammation and muscle tension by keeping the blood and nutrients flowing to the area(s) that are affected. Stretching is important to keep muscles pliable and reduce stiffness. Stay consistent with your exercises even if you can only stand a few minutes!

2. Stop Smoking! Nicotine has been found to reduce the flow of blood to your spinal discs which restricts important nutrients from reaching these areas. Smokers have been found to be more vulnerable to back pain, so stop smoking!

3. Watch your weight. If you are carrying extra pounds, especially in your midsection, you could be making your back pain worse. Extra weight has a tendency to shift your center of gravity and place extra strain on your lower back. Try to stay within 10 pounds of your ideal weight to help control back pain.

4. Control your Posture. If you sit at a desk for most of the day, then you should ensure that you have the right chair to help you maintain the correct posture. The best type of chair for preventing back pain is one with a straight back or one that has low-back support. You will need to keep your knees a little higher than your hips while you are seated, and using a stool to prop your feet on is not uncommon. If you are standing most of the day, try to stay erect and keep your stomach tight if possible. Use a stool to rest one foot on at a time if you can and switch feet about every 15 minutes if possible.

5. Use correct lifting techniques. Be sure that you don’t bend over to lift heavy objects! Instead, bend your knees and squat, tightening your abdominal muscles and hold the object close to your body as you stand. Never twist your torso as you are lifting, and if you can, push heavy objects rather than pull. Pushing is a little easier on the back.

Use these strategies to help reduce or control your back pain unless your doctor has advised you against any form of exercise or has restricted your movement. Since back pain is a common ailment, it pays to follow these strategies as a proactive measure against any possible future back problems.

Back pain management is no longer just a concern for adults; increasingly, young teenagers are feeling the effects if back pain. If you are a teen or the parent of a teen, it is important to educate yourself on common back pain causes for young people.

Children’s bodies are typically more resilient than those of adults. However, various conflicting factors of the modern lifestyle have posed serious threats to the spinal structures and back muscles of growing children.

Inactivity

Some of our youth are not getting the amount of exercise they need. Physical activity is important for maintaining both muscle tone and cardiovascular health. These two components of a healthy body protect against strain and injury, since strong muscles can handle the physical feats required by the day and a strong delivery system of blood and oxygen allows the tissues of the body to replenish, recover and perform work. Exercise is a vital component of back pain management and prevention.

Modern life is centered around technology. Computers and video games occupy much of our children’s time. With the exception of physical education classes, many teens spend the day sitting in unergonomic chairs at school, then sitting at home. The four or so minutes they spend walking between classes is not enough to stretch their muscles. Muscle tension and rigidity can result from this inactivity, along with other serious health problems like obesity.

Competitive Sport

On the other hand, some of our children are pushing themselves too hard. While modern culture fosters inactivity, it also holds on to the “no pain, no gain” ideal. Competitive sports are an asset to many lives, developing character and encouraging teamwork. However, some teens push themselves beyond their capacity and end up with an injury that lasts a lifetime.

Exacerbating this problem is the fact that many teens will not rest their injuries long enough for them to heal. Team members who play even when hurt are glorified for putting the team before themselves. Teens who don’t spend adequate time on back pain management may not realize that the sacrifice they are making will effect their futures.

Postural Enemies

The aforementioned schoolroom chair and the overloaded backpack are enemies of proper posture. Teens who don’t maintain strong stomach and back muscles will likely slouch in their seats, distorting the spine’s curvature. This also creates strain on the lower back muscles, since the stomach muscles are not engaged to assist in supporting the upper body’s weight.

Low back pain is widespread, and is one of the most frequent reasons for people to seek health care. It is estimated that 80 percent of us will experience back pain by age 55, and it is the leading cause of long-term work disability.

While it is often thought that low back pain is primarily a condition of blue-collar workers, it is actually collar blind; affecting both blue and white collar workers. A job or other activity that requires long periods of sitting, lifting, bending or twisting, or repetitive motions all increase the risk of having back pain.

Some might ask why is low back pain so common?

The spine is composed of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and discs, and back pain arises if a problem occurs with any of these structures.

Below are 10 common causes of back pain:

1. Using bad posture and poor body mechanics while performing the activities of daily life can cause back pain. For example, lifting a heavy object without bending at the knees, which causes you to use your back instead of your legs.

2. Prolonged standing or sitting may cause the muscles that support the spine to tighten and cause pain.

3. Low Back Strains are common, and they happen when muscles are overstretched or torn. Muscle strains occur when a sudden force, pull or twist is applied to the muscles in the back resulting in pain.

4. Ligamentous Sprains are also common, and they happen when the ligaments holding bones together are torn from their attachments. Sprains happen with quick, unexpected movements.

5. Painful Degenerative Discs are another cause of back pain. Discs act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. As we age, these discs can become thinner thereby losing some of their shock absorbing capacity. With less cushioning, this can lead to pain.

6. Herniated/Ruptured Discs lead to back pain. The gelatinous material inside a disk may protrude or rupture and pinch a nerve. When this happens, a condition we commonly refer to as “Sciatica” occurs. This results when the herniated disc presses on the main nerve that travels down your leg and causes pain to radiate from the buttock down the back of the leg.

7. Spinal Stenosis also causes back pain. After age 50, arthritis in the spine can lead to a narrowing of the spinal canal, compressing nerves within the canal. The compression of the nerves can lead to pain and numbness in the legs.

8. Spondylolisthesis is a condition where a vertebra in the spine slips out of place, causing pain. When one vertebra slips forward over the one beneath, the spinal canal becomes narrower. With less room to function in their natural position, the spinal cord and nerves become irritated and inflamed which causes painful symptoms.

9. Osteoporosis can cause weak bones and can lead to fractures, known as compression fractures, which result in very uncomfortable back pain.

10. Facet Joint Osteoarthritis occurs when osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) causes a breakdown of the cartilage between the facet joints (small joints in the back). When the joints move, the lack of the cartilage causes pain as well as loss of motion and stiffness. This pain is usually more pronounced first thing in the morning and later in the day.

It is part of the human experience to have your body break down slowly but surely over time as the wear and tear of day to day life takes its toll. However, there are many factors which contribute to back pain and back problems that can be greatly reduced if you are aware of them and make appropriate changes to how you use your body for various activities. This article aims to identify certain bad behaviors, or “risk factors”, for back problems and provide practical solutions so that you can reduce your risk of back problems.

The first thing you must understand and accept is that your physical condition is directly affecting the health of your spine. Poor body mechanics, muscular fatigue, excess weight, poor diet and bad posture can all lead to back problems and pain.

— Poor body mechanics, meaning the way your entire body adjusts to keep its balance and you move and rest, results from improper lifting techniques, carrying loads that are too heavy, sitting or standing in unnatural positions or twisting abruptly or awkwardly. When muscles are fatigued and weak, they do not properly support the back and make one more susceptible to injury.

— Extra weight carried in the abdomen results in increased pressure on the spinal structures such as the intervertebral discs and facet joints. Poor diet results in the body not having the proper nutrients it needs to repair tissue and maintain strong bones and healthy muscles.

— Chronic poor posture adds increased stress and wear and tear on the structures of the spine and can make a sudden injury more probable.

There are other factors to consider as well.

— Stress is another contributing source of back problems. Strong emotions such as anxiety or depression can lead to muscle tension that can turn in to muscle spasms in the back. A lack of exercise can decrease the blood circulation to tissues like the muscles.

— Use of tobacco products will also decrease blood supply to all areas of the body and may lead to chronic coughing which will increase the chance of back problems.

If the above mentioned conditions apply to you, you are at high risk for back problems. With 80% of Americans expected to experience back pain at some point in their life (Vallfors, 1985), you may be wondering what you can do prevent it.

Though some precautions are more obvious, like lose weight and exercise regularly, the ultimate answer for prevention of back problems lays in changing your habits of daily living activities. By learning to adopt healthier habits during certain activities and postures, you can protect your back.

Start to follow these healthy back tips:

• Don’t cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder. There are so many options for headphones and earpieces available these days that there’s really no excuse.
• Shoulder bags, laptop bags and briefcases should be as light and possible and should be alternated between shoulders/arms frequently to maintain a balanced workload between the two sides of the body. Ultimately, a backpack (worn over both shoulders) or wheeled bag are the preferred baggage styles for preventing back problems. If you must carry your baggage, always try to break it up in to two relatively even loads and balance the workload between each side.
• Do NOT carry your wallet in your back pocket. If you do, you must remember to take it out of your pocket EVERY time you sit down. Leaving a wallet in your back pocket all day while you sit for minutes or hours at a time on this will cause pelvic and spinal misalignments.
• Avoid crossing your legs when sitting.
• Avoid awkward and unbalanced positions such as standing with your weight shifted to one side. When you do have to engage in a one-sided or unbalanced activity, always try to alternate sides frequently.
• Avoid slouching and try to maintain a good posture at all times whether seated, standing or lying down.
• Do not use tobacco products.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and other drugs.
• When driving or seated at an activity for multiple hours, stop and stretch at least once an hour.
• Drink 2 litres of water every day to keep your muscles and other tissues hydrated and flush built up waste and toxins from the body.
• Always try to get sufficient sleep, and do it on bedding with adequate support.
• Eat a healthy and varied diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Ensure that you get sufficient amounts of Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium to support musculoskeletal health.

If you can begin to make these changes, you will be able to reduce your risks of back problems. If you already have back problems, you may want to consider your natural holistic therapy and alternative medicine options for back pain, such as chiropractic and massage. There are even certain techniques you can learn to do yourself at home. Now that you know the risks of back problems and how to prevent them, start changing your habits for a better quality of life.

When a person suffers from back pain, whether it is chronic or occasional, he sacrifices many things from his life – it affects his work and his relationship to other people around him. It causes not only physical pain but could also cause emotional trauma. Indeed, finding ways to effectively manage such illness is very important.

While there are conventional ways to treat back pains, a lot of people today are going for alternatives – the natural ways. One popular option that is becoming more and more popular today is the chiropractic approach for back pain treatment. For one reason, it is considered one of the safest ways and, second, it uses natural ways for treatment.

Below are some ways one can have when going to a chiropractor for back pain treatment:

Sympathetic laser stimulation – using this technique will help identify the root cause of the back pain. The idea is, 80% of painful conditions are attributed to neurologic reflexes in the spinal cord. It can be reset using gentle stimulation at the site of the reflex interference with specific instruments that can be found in chiropractic clinics.
\
Physical rehabilitation – this is common to patients are suffering from sport injuries. Sports chiropractic doctors rehab program focuses on establishing proper neurologic control of the joints and muscles with physical therapy employed through long session rehab programs.

Healthy diet and exercise – going to a chiropractic doctor allows a person to learn more about the importance of proper diet and exercise for holistic health achievement. They offer programs that will help patients to value self-discipline and the role it presents to physical health.

Detoxification programs – also available in chiropractic clinics, these include safe and proven effective techniques to detoxify one’s body, moving pollutants out of the body system. The idea is, by supporting the body’s own innate ability to neutralize and eliminate toxins, the body can balance itself and therefore can avoid greater risks to illnesses including back pains.. These programs may include targeted nutrients to help the body neutralize and eliminate toxins. Dietary modifications are also included.

There are a lot of ways you can take to achieve a healthier, better life. Going to health experts can be your first step. Why not roam around and check if there are health experts near you? Alternatively, you can check online – the Internet is a great resource of information that could be useful for your holistic health.

In the majority of sciatica cases, the back pain attacks are acute. This means that patients are often able to wait out the pain because the pain doesn’t last for too long. If you are experiencing back problems more and more frequently and you have not experienced any sports-related injuries or accidents, your body might be trying to tell you something. You see, health issues like sciatica are tied integrally to a person’s daily lifestyle.

• The first thing that you should assess is your level of physical fitness. How many times a week do you work out? If you don’t work out at all, it’s possible that your back and abdominal muscles are no longer strong enough to support your upper body weight. Strengthening exercises and aerobic exercises (even dancing) can help tone your muscles and restore your muscular strength.
• Now, the second thing that you should evaluate is the way you move your body on a daily basis. Do you lift heavy objects frequently? Are you seated for long periods without breaks? If you are, it’s time to make some adjustments in the way you work throughout the day so your back isn’t under stress all the time. You will see a significant improvement after some months, trust us.

Piriformis syndrome is a muscular condition wherein the muscles of the back become too tight or contracted. The extra contraction adds instant pressure to the surrounding vertebral region. One of the consequences of having Piriformis syndrome is nerve root irritation and nerve compression. The piriformis muscle is responsible for connecting the muscles in the thigh region with the main swaths of muscles in the back region.

As you can imagine, this particular patch of muscle is directly in between the legs and the lower back – at the exact region where the sciatic nerve is located! In addition to tightening of this specific muscle, people with Piriformis syndrome may also experience painful and random spasms in the same muscle. These spasms can also trigger sciatic pain, because tight muscles can instantly compress the area where the sciatic nerve branches out from the spinal column.

Physical fitness plays a key role in restoring spinal stability and increasing muscular strength, even in osteoporosis patients. Many doctors say that if they could bottle exercise and prescribe it, they would. That’s how potent and effective exercise is to human health.

Who can suffer from Piriformis syndrome? Sometimes the condition manifests because of poor physical fitness, but more often this condition affects individuals who have experienced physical trauma (e.g. people with sports-related injuries, victims of vehicular accidents, etc.).

There is also an occupational risk component. Individuals who are seated most of the day and do not walk around or stand up for a few minutes during breaks are also at risk for Piriformis syndrome. One easy way to avoid getting Piriformis syndrome is to exercise for 15 to 30 minutes every day.

Most of the time we tend to ignore back pain hoping that it will go away after some time just like we never had it. Because of this, we also tend to ignore the fact that it is also recurrent and not so ordinary. We may be unaware of it, but by ignoring it, more complicated medical conditions may arise. There could be so many reasons that we experience this kind of pain and the most common is a disorder in the spinal cord. We all know the fact that the spinal cord plays a very important role in our body. It is primarily responsible for sending signals from our brain through the other parts of our body. Medical experts know for a fact that damage to the spinal cord can greatly affect an individual’s life which is why they made it necessary for the medical industry to put up a separate institution that is primarily concerned with taking care of the spine. These institutions that deal with spinal disorders or back pains are called spine centers. How can a spine center help you?
Mexican online pharmacy no prescription
In getting treatment for a serious back pain, you should not just settle for pain relievers that can be purchased over the counter. Instead, you should consult an expert medical practitioner that can tell you what exactly is causing your pain. A spine center is the perfect place to go to. They have spine doctors that can tell you exactly what you need to know and give you the treatment procedures you need in order to get rid of the pain. You can also find reputable spine surgeons in a spine center to conduct spine surgeries for patients who may be in need of it. They have medical and health care experts that deal with Spinal Stenosis, Herniated Disc, Discogenic Disease, Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis, Facet Arthropathy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Other than reputable medical or health care professionals, a spine center also have an orthopedic recovery center which provides facilities for those whose spinal problems can still be treated with physical exercises and the likes. The facilities are also being used by those who have just undergone serious spine surgeries.

A spine center does not just cater to those who are already suffering from back pains and other spinal disorders. It also caters to those who would like to prevent experiencing back pains and other spinal disorder.

Whether your pain is serious or not, whether it is recurrent or not, it would be best if you visit a reputable spine center and know what is causing your back pain. If you have a serious medical condition, it is about time that you have it treated so as not to get worse. If you are not in a serious medical condition, you should know the best ways to prevent it so that you would not have to suffer from it at any point in your life and still be able to maintain a good figure even as you age.