Back painwhich is also known as dorsalgiais pain is felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.
It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be have a sudden onset or it can be a chronic pain, it can be felt constantly or intermittently, stay in one place or refer or radiate to other areas. The pain may be felt in the neck and might radiate into the arm and hand, in the upper back, or in the low back, and might radiate into the leg or foot, and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.
Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.
What causes back pain?
The symptoms of simple back pain often occur unexpectedly and can be triggered by a particular movement, but the causes may have been building for some time.
Some of the most common causes of stress and strain on the spine include:
Slouching in chairs
Driving in hunched positions
Standing badly
Lifting incorrectly
Sleeping on sagging mattresses
Being unfit
Generally overdoing it
Inactivity and the wrong sort of movement are usually at the root of simple back pain.
Inactivity makes the muscles go slack so they are unable to support the back properly. This leaves the back more vulnerable to damage when certain movements put too much strain on one area.
Even a minor problem can cause a lot of pain when you stand, bend or move around. Pain sometimes comes on suddenly, sometimes gradually, but usually it only lasts a few days or up to a week.
Often, the problem is caused by a strain or tear to the muscles, tendons or ligaments around the lower spine. In turn, this can produce painful muscle tension and spasm.
How does your spine actually work?
·Your spine holds up the weight of your upper body.
·Your spine is like a tower built from 33 tiny, interlocking bones. These bones are calledvertebrae.
·Between each vertebra is adisc. These are round pads of soft, malleable tissue. Each disc has a tough outer ring and a soft, jelly-like centre. The discs cushion the bones in your spine and stop them being broken when you jump or run.
·Each vertebra is linked to the next one bysmall joints that locktogether. They are calledfacet joints. These joints make your spine flexible so you can bend and twist it.
·A bundle of nerves runs down from your brain into the middle of your spine and goes down to the bottom of it. This is yourspinal cord.
·Each vertebra has a hole in the middle. The holes make a tunnel all the way down your back. This is where yourspinal cordis.
·Nerves from your spinal cord pass through small openings between the bones in your spine. These nerves branch off to every part of your body.
·Nerves coming out of the base of your spine join up with yoursciatic nerves. These are the main nerves in your legs. You have one sciatic nerve running down each of your legs.
What types of back pain are there?
Acute pain
One widespread type of pain is acute pain, presently defined as pain lasting less than 3 to 6 months, or pain that is directly related to tissue damage. This is the kind of pain that is experienced from a paper cut or needle prick. Other examples of acute pain include:
·Smashing one’s finger with a hammer. This pain is similar to that of touching a hot stove in that there is immediate pain, withdrawal and then “slower” aching pain.
·Labor pains. The pain during childbirth is acute and the cause is certainly identifiable.
The longer pain goes on the more vulnerable it is to other influences and developing into a chronic pain problem. These influences include such things as the ongoing pain signal input to the nervous system even without tissue damage, lack of exercise, a person’s thoughts about the pain, as well as emotional states such as depression and anxiety.
Chronic pain
There are at least two different types of chronic pain problems - chronic pain with no identifiable pain generator (e.g. the injury has healed) and chronic pain due to an identifiable pain generator (e.g. an injury)
Chronic pain with no identifiable pain generator This type of pain continues beyond the point of tissue healing and there is no clearly identifiable pain generator that explains the pain. It is often termed “chronic benign pain”.
It appears that pain can set up a pathway in the nervous system and, in some cases, this becomes the problem in and of itself. In chronic pain the nervous system may be sending a pain signal even though there is no ongoing tissue damage. The nervous system itself misfires and creates the pain. In such cases, the pain is the disease rather than a symptom of an injury.
The term “chronic pain” is generally used to describe pain that lasts more than three to six months, or beyond the point of tissue healing. Chronic pain is usually less directly related to identifiable tissue damage and structural problems. Examples of chronic pain are: chronic back pain without a clearly determined cause, failed back surgery syndrome (continued pain after the surgery has completed healed), and fibromyalgia.
Chronic pain is influenced by many factors, such as ongoing pain signal input to the nervous system even without tissue damage, physical deconditioning due to lack of exercise, a person’s thoughts about the pain, as well as emotional states such as depression and anxiety. Chronic pain is much less well understood than acute pain.
Chronic pain due to an identifiable pain generator This type of chronic pain is due to a clearly identifiable cause. Certain structural spine conditions (for example, degenerative disc disease,spinal stenosisandspondylolisthesis) can cause ongoing pain until successfully treated. These conditions are due to a diagnosable anatomical problem.
If the pain caused by these types of conditions has not subsided after a few weeks or months of conservative treatments, then spine surgery may usually be considered as a treatment option.
Neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain has only been investigated relatively recently. In most types of neuropathic pain, all signs of the original injury are usually gone and the pain that one feels is unrelated to an observable injury or condition. With this type of pain, certain nerves continue to send pain messages to the brain even though there is no ongoing tissue damage.
Neuropathic pain feels different than musculoskeletal pain and is often described with the following terms: severe, sharp, lancinating, lightning-like, stabbing, burning, cold, and/or ongoing numbness, tingling or weakness. It may be felt traveling along the nerve path from the spine down to the arms/hands or legs/feet. It’s important to understand neuropathic pain because it has very different treatment options from other types of back pain. For example, opioids (such as morphine) and NSAID’s (such as ibuprofen, COX-2 inhibitors) are usually not effective in relieving neuropathic pain. Treatments for neuropathic pain include certain medications, nerve “block” injections, and a variety of interventions generally used for chronic pain. Neuropathic pain (also called nerve pain or neuropathy) is very different from pain caused by an underlying injury. While it is not completely understood, it is thought that injury to the sensory or motor nerves in the peripheral nervous system can potentially cause neuropathy. Neuropathic pain could be placed in the chronic pain category but it has a different feel then chronic pain of a musculoskeletal nature.
How many people suffer from back pain?
It is estimated that 80% of adults will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives.
The Back Friend
Many experts in back pain recommend using the Back Friend as a way of ongoing support and as part of their over all treatment programme.
The Back Friend is a clever device that is a combination of a seat base and a headrest. Its simplicity is its brilliance and because of this can be used in almost any seat - at home, work or even when travelling. By maintaining the correct posture when seated each individual is able to maintain the correct posture needed for a healthy, happy back.
Thousands of people have found that this simple design and use of the Back Friend means they can easily use the product regularly in their lives without it becoming a nuisance. At work in an office chair, travelling in the car, train or even airplane can once again be relaxing pain free experiences.
To use it is very simple; just place it in a seat before you sit down. It is also very easy to adjust to suit the individual needs of each user. When on the move, it also folds easily and when packed in its carry case can be easily transported.
The Back Friend comes in a variety of colours and can be purchased in either single or double padded.
The Back Friend is a fantastic product to help with back pain.
