Different Types of Back Pain and How to Treat Your Own Back

Back pain is a common problem moving literally millions of people. It can range from minor, irregular pain, to sustained pain in unusual parts of the back, neck or shoulders or strike the pinching of nerves, distressing the legs or arms.   The causes of back pain vary and can oftentimes be a mixture of factors. Some of the factors known by practitioners are set out below that help to treat your own back.  

Sprains and Strains. An out-of-condition back or one with pre-existing troubles is more vulnerable to soft tissue injuries like sprains and strains. A sprain is a joint injury that involves stretching or tearing of the ligaments. A strainisan injury to sinew or tendons. Stretching a ligament or muscle too quickly can result in a tear. Excessive force and certain repetitious use may also damage muscles.  

Disc problems. The intervertebral discs are the cushions between our vertebrae. These discs dry out and harden with age, making them susceptible to injury. Common disc complaints involve the disc bulging (prolapse), herniating or even rupturing. Most disc problems rise up from sustained stress or injury and may be caused by back strain (such as when lifting).

 Muscle Imbalance and Poor Posture. Muscle imbalances often involve certain muscles losing their natural procedure and over-working or being under utilised. This can happen as a result of lifestyle stress and bad habits of body use over a sustained period. Muscle imbalance can lead to or work in tandem with bad posture to result in such back problems as chronic lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain orflat shoulder.  

Emotional and Neuromuscular Causes. Sustained stress or emotional trauma can cause muscular tension to be held unconsciously in the body leading to back pain.  

Structuralproblems involving the spine can cause back pain. These include the following:

•      Scoliosis – an excessive sideways deform of either the upper or lower regions of the spine.
•      Kyphosis – sometimes referred to as “hunchback”, this is an excessive outbound curve of the upper back.

Disease Diseases that can affect the spine and cause back pain include:

•      Ankylosing spondylitis – a disease that causes kindling in spinal joints and limb joints potentially leading to fusion of vertebrae
•      Arthritis – especially osteoarthritis, involves cartilage that normally cushions joints breaking down.
•      Osteoporosis – is a condition involving thinning of the bones. It usually occurs in women after the menopause but can also affect men.
•      Sciatica – is nerve pain from the sciatic nerve, a nerve that runs from the spine through the buttock and down the back of the leg. Sciatica is often caused by a disc bulge or prolapse pressing on the spinal nerve. Other causes that prevents you to treat your own back can include a narrowing of the nerve tunnel between discs as a result of osteoarthritis.