Identifying Lower Back Pain Symptoms

Lower back pain is a common complaint not only in old age but also among much younger adults. What truly cause this element may never be exactly diagnosed and even experienced physicians and experts may overlook some causes underlying the condition. The patient may also find it hard to distinguish the location of the pain and may often be confused on where to start pinching the section of the body to temporarily relieve the pain.

The typical lower back pain symptom is excruciating pain felt somewhere in the back. There is no telling how one would identify the cause of pain without really undergoing medical examination or x-ray. However, even these two may not suffice, as there is a host of symptoms that are not supported with anatomical abnormalities. But still the pain is real and not psychological.

The problem often arises here. Since physicians don't find any physical symptoms with some forms of lower back pain, they may recommend their patients to a psychiatrist. Therefore, no true diagnosis is made therefor the condition is not properly addressed.

No one should be blamed for this, not even the doctor who emphasized that nothing is wrong.

Why this is the case is not yet comprehensively studied. But recent researches assert that trigger points may be responsible for this condition/s. Trigger points are individual areas in the body that are usually located nearest to the bones. The fact is, for each pain that is felt there are a number of trigger points responsible.

Most lower back pain would go away for around 3 months after the onset and will only recur as suddenly as it went. However there are symptoms that may indicate the severity of the condition and may require immediate medical intervention and surgery. The following symptoms may be as follows:

• Cauda equina syndrome or sudden bowl movement, which may not be linked to other conditions rather than the actual pain felt at the lower back. This syndrome may also manifest as progressive weakness of the legs. There can be no known cause for this except that the sciatic nerve that is located at the lower back down to the legs is impaired or irritated.

• Continuous low back pain

• Severe abdominal pain

• Sudden fever and chills without evidence of illnesses that normally come along with these two.

• Unexplained weight loss

Unlike with other ailments, lower back pain symptoms may vary from case to case and the severity of the case is also dependent on the individual states.

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Common Lower Back Pain Treatments

Like with a number of things, beginning with lower back pain treatment has to start somewhere. It must start with a number of basic steps.

Foremost, you have to be diagnosed of a certain condition and be sure that you have discussed with your doctor the lower back pain treatment that is appropriate with your case.

However, lower back pain may often be undiagnosable and many are caused by certain complications that are too hard to recognize even for experts on the field. For some cases on the other hand, symptoms are evident due to anatomical abnormalities and usually require immediate treatments.

For the more common lower back pain, treatment may start with the following routines:

· Rest

It is important to rest the spine when beginning the treatment yet it is equally important to note that rest must only comprise of a day or two. Other than this, resting may be more damaging than good as too much rest may lessen muscle strength. This may also lead to persistent lower back pain. After the symptoms subside, avoid too much physical exertion and activities.

Due to the nature of muscle strain, it is best to avoid irritation on the affected part especially on the spine and the muscles that surround this area.

· Anti-Inflammatory Medications or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Medications that are covered by NSAIDs are often used in treating inflammation associated with lower back pain and other pains. These medications may both be prescribed or may be bought over the counter.

· Heat Application

This procedure may help ease discomforts caused by muscle spasm that trigger lower back pain. Methods using heat may include hot water, hot bottles, hot bath and heating pads.

· Exercise

This probably is the most essential step in lower back pain treatment. This increases muscle strength and flexibility. Once muscle strength is increased, weight may be better distributed and less force will burden the spine.

· Narcotic Pain Medications

Narcotic medications may be both addictive and dangerous but they are rather effective against pain. It is important that the person using narcotic pain medications is under strict supervision.

· Muscle Relaxers

Muscle relaxing medications may be very effective in treating the symptoms of back pain through relieving muscle spasm. Among these are trade names such as Flerexil, Valium, and Soma.

· Physical Therapy

The focus of physical therapies is the exercises concerned on the back, naturally enough. Yet, if symptoms did no subside using this method, there are other forms of treatments that may be employed such as ultrasound, yoga and aquatherapy.

All these methods of treatments may be used separately or may be combined with other modalities to induce immediate body response.

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Facts on Lower Back Pain

In the United States, lower back pain is one of the leading causes of disability, which is supported by the statistics that in every 10 individual, eight may be showing signs of the condition.

Paradoxically, the extent of pain has nothing to do with the intensity of damage afflicted on the patient. Unlike with acute ailments and disease, chronic lower back pain is generally not associated with the height of damage accumulated. A large herniated disc may be relatively painless whereas muscle spasm due to back strain can be a reason for excruciating back pain.

The sponsors for lower back pain may be extremely complex. In most cases, people suffering from it cannot exactly point out the location of concentrated pain or what they exactly feel. This is due to the reason that there are a number of underlying structures located at the lower back that may cause the pain. Listed below are several parts of the spiral anatomy that may be the reasons for pain:

• Irritation on the large nerve roots located at the low back that are connected to the arms and the legs.

• Irritation in the smaller nerves in the lower back spine.

• Strain at the erector spinae, also termed as the large lower back muscle.

• Injury/ies on the joints, ligaments and bones.

• Injury at the intervertebral disc.

There are cases however that the lower back pain is felt and suffered from yet there are no known anatomical cause or causes to relate the pain with. Though these types of lower back pain may not yet be fully recognized, immediate treatment must still be addressed. However, lower back pain may usually be associated with some general causes. An example of which is the muscle strain on the lower back or more specific diagnosable condition such as lumbar herniated disc or a degenerative disc disease.

Symptoms of lower back pain that are frequently related with surgical approaches:

• Bladder incontinence or sudden bowel movement

• Progressive weakening of the legs

• Continuous low back pain or abdominal pain

• Signs of fever and chills that are directly linked with lower back pain

• Caner cases

• Extreme weight loss

• Recent case of trauma, especially when severe

Many people take lower back pain for granted, either by own choice or they are impeded by some irreversible reasons like insufficient and the likes. However, early diagnosis and treatment generally prevent people from experiencing more excruciating pains and higher treatment costs.

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Lower Back Pain Exercise as Treatment for Agonizing Pain

Lower back pain may be detrimental to the person undergoing such attacks. It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about their backs paining, yet its commonality and the causes that cover it are not yet as firmly identified, as it must be. In fact, there are documented cases wherein the exact anatomical causes are yet to be determined.

Exercising helps and that's for sure. Yet there are exercises and activities that create the possibilities for lower back pain instead of decreasing its intensity. Many people suffer from this problem and this is the exact reason why one, they are prohibited from exercising and two, they are discouraged from doing such.

A number of studies performed only recently shows that people who are vulnerable to lower back pain must concentrate on improving the strength in their lower back via a productive lower back exercise. This initially hurts but in the long run, the pain may be decreased and will promote the muscle's comfortability over the pain it presently carries.

Simply put, the ultimate solution to back pain rests on the exercise routine.

Weak abdominal muscle is pointed to be one reason why the lower back aches. While your core is weak, you are most likely to practice improper postures and your muscles may get used in the positions that cause irritation and pain. For this, the best lower back pain exercise may be an activity/ies that promote strength and flexibility on parts such as stomach, highs, hips and especially the back.

Though cardiovascular exercises may add to your overall strength, it is still ideal for you to incorporate exercises such as the following:

• Leg raising for hip and stomach muscles strength

• Leg raising that intensifies hip and back muscle strength

• Wall sliding for promoting back, leg and hip muscles

• Partial sit-ups for strengthening stomach muscles

• Back leg swing for promoting back and hip muscles

• Flexibility exercises and stretches

In case you have not done any of the routines stated above or you have issues that may affect or may be affected with such activities, it is best to seek medical and professional help. The physician or the physical therapist may be able to create a customized program for you as lower back pain exercises.

For complete details, it is best to visit spinal wellness sites.

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Few Things to Consider When Seeking Lower Back Pain Relief

The best thing that you may probably have considered in your search for an efficient lower back pain relief is to find out what really cause this condition. There are quite a number of factors that may result to lower back pain though there are conditions for which the causes are unknown. Nonetheless, the pain is real and sometimes excruciating.

Among these factors are muscle spasm, muscle strain, ligament sprains, joint problems, herniated disc, improper posture, too much weight carried by the lumbar section of the back bone and several more others.

A herniated disc, or sometimes called as degenerated disc is caused by the bulging between the bones. This condition may press on the nerves and cause the excruciating pain. However, many people don't know what affected their back bones that induced this pain.

To allow lower back pain relief, there were different exercises and body positions, which may help raise the possibility of releasing the back bone from too much stress. Most physical therapists would suggest that the patient lie on the floor with pillows underneath his head and knees. It is important that the hips and knees are bent in this posture. This will help free the back from the weight and stress it is carrying.

If your case is severe, you may need to rest in this position for one to two days. However, you may need to reinforce your muscle strength during this period through walking, though this may hurt quite a bit.

If you would not want to risk muscle strength in this or the idea of walking while your lower back aches, you can use heating pads, ice packs and massages as alternatives. Their effects may be impermanent but temporary treatment may as well prove a great relief.

Nonprescription drugs may also be excellent aids for reducing pain and swelling. These include the following: aspirin, naproxen (Aleve), acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (brand name: Motrin) and ketoprofen (Orudis).

Lower back pain may either be a continuous process or may be a series of attacks. For ongoing back pain, the ideal action to take is direct the treatment at the actual causes. This may mean loosing weight. Obesity is pointed as one reason why people suffer lower back pain. As we know, the lower back carries all the weight that may be induced on the upper body. Once the body is overweight and too much force is created to stress out the muscles and the bones on the lower back, the end result may be extreme lower back pain. Two other things that you might want to consider is to correct your posture and to put your muscles in shape.

These things, if addressed correctly may prove beneficial in searching for lower back pain relief

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