Back Ache Symptoms - Very Much on the Fore

Back ache symptoms appear in nearly eight out of ten people at some point or the other in their lives. These symptoms could be inveterate, sharp, and at times, chronic. Back ache is usually a result of malfunctioning of the spine due to damage to the spine, ligaments, discs or muscles. The symptoms could be minor or major depending on the cause.

Symptoms Reflect On The Causes

Different causes and conditions will present varying symptoms and different degrees of intensity. It is important to consult a doctor regarding any new or changing pain symptoms. Some of the common symptoms are:

Pain

The actual pain can be sharp or dull. It may be concentrated in a small or specific area, localized to a region of the back, or spread throughout a large area. The pain might be just in the back or may radiate into the neck, face, arms, legs, or buttocks.

Tingling

Nerve involvement often causes a tingling feeling. This is most common in pinched cervical nerves and sciatica. In the case of a pinched cervical nerve root, the patient will often feel tingling in the arms, wrists, or hands. Many patients with sciatica and other lower backache syndromes experience tingling in the buttocks, legs, or feet. This tingling sensation can be mild or severe.

Numbness

Numbness is a very scary symptom associated with many backache conditions. The feeling might occur in the actual location of the pain, but more commonly radiates into the arms or legs. Numbness in the hands or feet is common in serious cervical and lumbar conditions and can be a sign of severe nerve involvement.

Weakness

Muscular weakness is also a relatively common side effect of some back problems. Weakness can strike the back, arms, legs, hands, or entire regions, depending on the location and severity of the underlying condition. Weakness is another frightening side effect of nerve involvement in any number of back pain syndromes.

You can lessen the difficulties caused by pain in the back if these back ache symptoms are diagnosed in time and treated appropriately. Correct treatment and the suitable remedial measures are very important.

Things To Pay Attention To

If you are unsure about the nature of your back pain symptoms and unable to decide on the course of treatment, think about the following:

• The duration of the ache is very important and indicates if your ache is of acute or chronic in nature. Acute pain lasts for weeks and can be cured immediately while chronic pain may last for months and needs on-going treatment for complete relief.


• Sudden change in your routine can also be the root cause of the problem, such as change in job, sleeping habits, and others.


• A change in your activity pattern may also be the cause of backache.


• Obesity can also be a cause. As the lower back bears most of the weight of the body, excess weight can cause back ache.


• Your chair, workstation, mattress, pillow all could be the culprit.

As in other illnesses, prevention of back pain is always better than finding an appropriate remedy for it. Taking proper care of your back to avoid back ache symptoms is not a difficult task.

Benefits of Doing Back Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Low back pain issue is a common saga a result of the poor way of life many people are following in today's times. The reality is, it is one of the most popular lower back conditions causing missed work. Americans devote approximately $50 billion every year on back pain relief treatment program. In spite of everything, many people endure the pain, and wrongly reckon that have grown to be strong enough for much more vigorous training, ending up to a lot more prolonged pain.

Oftentimes, muscles on the lower back are placed in threat of stress when you do just about any combination of flexion, side to side flexion, and turning after which stretches and moves the spinal column back into its neutral location. Back muscles perform a huge role in your everyday life. Any one thinking about embarking on an exercise routine should include back exercises into their exercise program in order to reinforce the lower back.

Lumbar pain or a worn out back can be a common problem for working individuals. The majority of adults endure lumbar pain at some point however for some, it is much more hurting and debilitating. Chronic pain in higher levels can cause despair, loss of job function, wherewithal to accomplish everyday activities and extremely huge health and social expenses caused by medical care and compensation for loss of earnings. If you have lumbar pain, it is necessary that the cause is clinically determined prior to making an attempt any back exercises for lower back pain.

Back exercises for women are definitely vital to make sure overall back health. Womens' exercises for the back must comprise greater than the over-used cord pull-down, given that the muscles on the back have diverse joints in the body, and the way those muscle fibers are generally structured is for it to get ignited through different motions.

Another one of the best back exercises for women is the bent over row, which enables them to attain a total back exercise with no much strain. Typically, it is one of the easiest exercises to perform, also it can be performed with a free weight barbell.

Back exercises for lower back pain can help give relief and help you to recover to a phase when you execute more strenuous workouts. Such exercises really don't simply involve stretching. For a strong back, you can do back exercises specific for its muscle group three days a week. For a much healthier back, do not forget that the key is actually to do the suitable type of workout.

Flatback Syndrome Is a Cause of Back Pain

A healthy human spine has three curves that ensure proper balancing of weight and shock absorption. The lumbar spine in the lower back naturally curves inward; this type of curve is called lordosis. The thoracic spine in the mid-back connects to the ribcage and curves outward, which is called kyphosis. Finally, the cervical spine in the neck is naturally lordotic.

Some people with lower back pain may find that they suffer from what is called flatback syndrome. This is characterized by the loss of normal curvature in the spine and usually manifests in the lumbar region. As the lumbar spine loses its curve, a number of mechanical changes occur in the body. Spinal discs, which act as shock absorbers between vertebrae, are subjected to uneven pressure. The muscles, tendons and ligaments throughout the back are pulled and lengthened; a muscle's natural response to being pulled is to pull back in order to prevent being torn, and this extra work further strains the muscles. Pelvic position changes as well. The sacrum and coccyx together form a hook-shaped bone series at the very base of the spine which connects to the hip bones. As the lumbar spine becomes elongated, this hook is pushed down and under, putting the pelvis into what is called posterior pelvic tilt.

Not all instances of posterior pelvic tilt are instances of flatback syndrome. The two are interchangeable only if the pelvic position is accompanied by near-total loss of lordosis.

Symptoms

An obvious symptom of flatback syndrome is flatness of the spine.

In most people with flatback syndrome, the straightening of the lumbar spine causes the thoracic and cervical segments to pitch forward. One of the main symptoms of the condition is feeling like you might fall forward. As the condition progresses, you may require a cane or walker for balance.

People with flatback syndrome often have muscular pain in the back and pelvis.

Disc problems like bulging and herniation are a common result of prolonged flatback.

Causes

The most discussed cause of flatback syndrome is hardware implanted in the spine during surgery to correct scoliosis. Harrington rods used to be inserted into the spine to correct sideways curvature, but over time these devices tended to cause the spine to straighten out on the saggital plane as well.

Another, less commonly discussed cause of flatback begins below the back. Muscle imbalances in the lower body can pull the pelvis down and under, flattening out the lumbar lordosis from the bottom. One muscle imbalance scenario that may cause posterior pelvic tilt is tight hamstrings, glutes and lower abdominal muscles coupled with weak quadriceps, psoas and lower back muscles. Tight muscles exert a pull on body structures that is not balanced by the pull of weak muscles. The pelvis is pulled downward by the glutes and hamstrings and under by the lower abdominals.

Flatback syndrome may also be associated with other health conditions, such as arthritis and vertebral compression fractures common among people with osteoporosis.

Treatments

The only real way to correct loss of curvature caused by scoliosis surgery is to re-operate, which entails breaking the original fusion, removing the devices that caused flatback and re-setting the fusion with newer techniques.

To correct flatback caused by muscle imbalances, tight muscles must be forced to regain elasticity and weak ones must be developed. For imbalances severe enough to cause flatback, simple stretching will not be enough to lengthen tight muscles. A technique called self-myofascial release (SMR) can be used to regain elasticity and reduce the pull these muscles are exerting on your spine. You can see videos of SMR for different muscles at http://www.myweightlifting.com/self-myofascial-release.html.

Once flexibility has been restored, you can begin a stretching routine to maintain it. You can also start building your weaker muscle groups. If you can, work with a physical therapist to ensure your form is correct and you are not causing harm.

It is important to understand that the lumbar curve is essential to the health of your back. If you suspect that your spine doesn't curve naturally, consider the possibility that muscle imbalance is causing your lower back pain.

Left Side and Right Side Lower Back Pain: Common Causes

One of the best ways to narrow down the possible causes of your back pain is to consider where the pain is located and what type of pain sensation you feel. Many people complain of lower back pain on either the right or left side. The following descriptions of causes may help you understand your pain better.

Muscular Lower Back Pain

Pain on one side of the body may indicate a simple muscle strain. This type of pain is located in a muscle and may be felt as stiffness, soreness or an ache. Muscle strain occurs when a muscle is overworked or overstretched and suffers tears. They can occur in any number of ways throughout the day, such as twisting to the side and lifting an object.

Most cases of muscle strain heal within days. You can alleviate pain by applying ice to the muscle during the first twenty-four hours for 20 minute at a time. Once the muscle is no longer inflamed, you can use heat to loosen it up.

If you have chronic muscle pain, it is possible that a lower back muscle on one side suffers from an overuse injury. This could occur if your job or other daily activities require you to use the muscle constantly. If you have a desk job and frequently turn to one side, for example, one side of your lower back may be strained. Overuse injuries require a change in behavior to heal. Changing the layout of your work station may be a solution to this.

If you have chronic muscle strain, it is possible that your muscle has developed trigger points. These are dense knots that form and make it difficult for the muscle to relax. Trigger point massage therapy or self-myofascial release (SMR) can work out trigger points.

SI Joint Pain

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is formed where the large hip bones meets the sacrum in the lower back on each side. SI joint dysfunction occurs when the joint is misaligned and has either too much or too little motion. It becomes inflamed and irritates the sciatic nerve that runs down the leg. There are a number of causes of SI joint dysfunction; pregnancy, impact, muscle imbalance and leg length discrepancy are common causes.

The SI joint is indicated as your source of pain if the pain is centered on the joint. The joint is usually inflamed if you have SI joint dysfunction, so it may be painful to the touch. The pain may be achy or sharp and often radiates into the lower back, buttocks, hips and thighs. You may also notice that one side of your pelvis is higher or sticks out more than the other. If you have these symptoms, it would be wise to ask your doctor to test for SI joint dysfunction. Physical therapy may assist in recovery.

Sciatica Pain

The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back to the foot on each side of the body. The nerve can become compressed or irritated by a herniated disc, tight piriformis muscle in the hip, vertebral misalignment or inflamed SI joint. These are the most common causes of sciatica pain.

"True" sciatica is marked by compression of the nerve root as it exits the spine. That said, vertebral misalignment and herniated disc are the most common causes of sciatica. SI joint inflammation and the piriformis muscle irritate the nerve further down its length and create similar pain, just with a different starting point. "True" sciatica is characterized by a sharp pain that radiates from the lower back into the buttocks and legs, sometimes as far down as the foot. Treating this kind of sciatica may require chiropractic care, physical therapy and spinal decompression treatments. SI joint dysfunction and piriformis syndrome create similar pain, but the pain may be worst at the joint or hip. These conditions benefit from physical therapy.

Pain in one side of your back could indicate muscle strain, SI joint dysfunction or sciatica. If the pain is sore or achy and for the most part localized, you likely have a muscle strain on one side of your back. If the pain is sharp and radiates, you can suspect either sciatica or the SI joint. With a little education, you may be able to resolve your back pain on our own. For more serious conditions, you can help your doctor arrive at an accurate diagnosis.

The 3 Biggest Causes of Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is both a common and debilitating condition. Statistics say that over 80% of the adult population will suffer from backpain at some stage. Medical data states that backpain is only second to the common cold for doctor's visits.

Low back pain is now a very common occurrence in your life. So what are the most common causes and can you do something about it?

There are actually 3 common causes of lower back pain. They do not fit the usual stereotypical causes either. It is not injuries; it is not falls, nothing to do with muscle strain or joint sprains. The 3 biggest causes of lower back pain are the activities that allow lower back pain to happen.

And they are as follows...

Gravity - yes the pressure from the sky. Gravity affects your muscles and joints. It creates pressure on joints and allows degeneration of the joint to develop. Gravity is constant every day and adults believe they can fight it and win. But you can't!

Adults spend the entire day sitting or standing. You only lie down when you go to bed. For the average person, that means 8 hours not fighting gravity, and 16 hours fighting it. So gravity wins and allows you to shrink in height with age, for joints to degenerate, muscles to tire.

How can you fight it - you can't eliminate gravity but you can stop its' effects on you.

Warming Up - why is warming up a common cause of lower back pain? It isn't. Not warming up is. Sure you may warm up for sport and exercise. But do you warm up for gardening, household chores and other daily tasks at your work place? Most likely not.

Most accidents, injuries, lower back pain etc occur because your body is ill-prepared for the work you are about to do. The shock causes the muscles to tighten, for joints to react and low backpain occurs. So you need to warm up for all exercise, whether it is sport related or work or home related. Go for a walk, stretch and limber up before you get stuck into the activity.

Stupidity - no stupid people do not cause low backpain. Your stupid behavior does. Adults are notorious for over doing things. Men especially. We lift too heavier an object, do not take breaks when you should, work too long and too hard.

All these activities lead to the common over-use strains and sprains that lead to lower back pain. Men like to be the macho hero, who can lift the weight of a car. Only to find out tomorrow they can't lift their own body weight out of bed in the morning. Women are less stupid, but are learning fast to do the same. You spend 8 hours gardening, 3 hours vacuuming, yet you shudder at going to the gym for an hour.

What is the solution? Do not over do it, take regular breaks, warm up for exercises no matter what they are and lie down more often.

Lower back pain is a common event in today's' hectic world. All you need to do to eliminate your lower back pain is avoid the bigger causes, learn to correct the muscle and joint imbalances and then you can prevent lower backpain - totally and permanently!

Lower Back Arthritis - Lumbar Spine Pain Problems - Symptoms, Treatment and Remedies For Discomfort

Do you suffer from arthritis pain in your lower back?

Do you want to honestly do something about it?

1.) Introduction

There is little doubt among people that your back is a complex structure that is composed of bones, muscles and tissue all working together. The lumbar aspect of your spine, where pain is commonly felt, supports the weight of the rest of your back (meaning your mid and upper back). Unfortunately, back pain, one of the most common everyday pain problems can be difficult to treat.

People who suffer from arthritis in their lower back (lumbar spine) are commonly those individuals that are older. However, arthritis in the lower back can be seen in many different age groups. Typically, patient's who are at an increased risk for having lumbar spine arthritis include:

• older individuals


• obese persons


• heavy laborers who use their backs


• those individuals that have previous back problems

2.) Where Does Arthritis Effect The Spine?

Arthritis of the lower back (lumbar spine area) happens in the joints that connect each spinal segment together. We are referring to the vertebrae when we say "spinal segments". Your vertebrae are actually connected in three separate locations. They are connected in front of the spinal cord and behind the spinal cord the vertebrae (back bones) are joined by two small joints. These are referred to as facet joints. Each vertebrae is separated vertically by a spinal disc. All of these components work together to allow you movements such as bending, flexing, extending or moving from sided to side and twists.

3.) Arthritic Facets

When your facet joints are effected by arthritis, the spinal movements that you make can cause you pain. You may also feel stiff at the same time. Typically you will see lumbar spine arthritis accompanied by disc degeneration and / or spinal stenosis.

4.) Disc Degeneration & Spinal Stenosis

Just like anything else, time can wear out portions of the spine. Your discs are no different. Things can be done to help treat the pain, but your discs will many times be degenerating if you also have facet arthritis. - Spinal stenosis can also accompany facet arthritis. Stenosis refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal that houses the spinal cord. Symptoms of spinal stenosis may include: leg pain, numbness or tingling in one of your extremities. You may also suffer from difficulty with walking.

5.) Back Support

One great way to help reduce back pain is to consider using a low profile and light weight back support. These are often times well concealed by just using a t-shirt! - They can help promote healing of an injured spine and can also help to reduce pain due to an arthritic lumbar spine. Although arthritis can cause a lot of problems for people, these supports can help to reduce related pains and stiffness. If you are serious about pain relief you should check one out today.

The Root Cause of Low Back Pain and How to Reverse It

The root cause of lower back pain is actually nowhere near as complicated as people make it out to be. I have read so many different theories about the cause of back pain and it baffles me that people do not understand the simple basic truth of why 90% of Americans are estimated to have low back pain at some point in their life! I mean, that is an alarming fact. And it is not as if that was the case 100 years ago. No, low back pain has become a much more prevalent problem in the last century. Why?

Well, think about it like this... how many house a day do you sit in a chair? Do you realize how unnatural that is for the human body? Anatomically, we were not meant to sit in chairs. But, we sit in them for hours and hours a day. Now, how many hours do you stretch, exercise and correct the problems created by sitting in a chair? Obviously, nowhere near enough. Are you beginning to see the problem?

Now, let me explain what happens to your low back over time and why you have low back pain. Over time, because we sit too much and do not move enough, certain muscles get very tight, other muscles get very weak and the core becomes unstable. All those things together warp the natural curve of the spine. And when the natural curve of the spine warps, the vertebrae lose their natural spacing. For example, in kyphotic posture (which is extremely common), the vertebrae start to squeeze together and put a lot of pressure on the soft discs in between the vertebrae. And inside those discs are very sensitive nerves. So, guess what happens when nerves get crushed by bone? Yep, really serious back pain.

Now, there are all kinds of treatments out there, but I have never seen any of them deal with the simple root cause of back pain. To get relief and reverse back pain, you have to do the following- fix your posture so that the natural curve of the spine becomes health again. How? Simple... you have to strengthen the weak muscles, mobilize the tight muscles and stabilize the core. Remember, muscles are not set in stone. With the right kind of exercise and stretching program, you can regain your natural posture and then your back pain will be eliminated. Obviously, if you have a much more serious low back injury or condition, this may not apply to you, but it is true for the vast majority of back pain sufferers.

A few other quick tips- First of all, make sure you have a comfortable chair, especially at work. And make sure you stand up every 30 minutes and move around a little bit. Get the blood moving and do a few stretches. It will give your and mind a nice little break and help your body relieve some of the tension that causes all these problems in the first place. And obviously, another important factor is that you should really try and sit less throughout the day. Don't just sit and veg out. Stand up, move around, go for short walks and try to limit how much you sit. Even on an airplane, you can get up and go stretch by the bathrooms. It is the little things that will add up over time and help you out a lot.