Early treatment and prevention of life-threatening backache
Sudden and chronic backaches are such a common problem that every working adult has complained of it, or gone to the physician at least once in every five-six years. The incidence of back pain is almost half among corporate employees, housewives and among workers involved in heavy physical labor.
Hundreds of exercises and remedies have been improvised over the years, and many techniques like massaging and special exercises have been recommended for treating backaches. While these methods work for some people, for others, backache simply refuses to disappear. If the pain increases, it might affect one’s body movements, lifestyle and work-life balance. What’s even more important is realizing that chronic backache might signal some other serious body condition, and is associated with a lot of health factors.
If your back ache hasn’t disappeared for more than 2-3 months, then it must be taken seriously, and its underlying symptoms and causes have to be noted. Pain usually occurs along the neck, upper or lower back, or along the waistline. Most pain centers lie along the spine, a complex and confusing bundle of nerves, bones, joints and tendons which experiences and relays information throughout the body. Pain usually starts along the top or middle, and increases towards the waist. Back ache is commonly associated with bowel problems too.
For chronic backache, the first step is to look at your history of past injuries, sprains, muscle strain and cramps. If pain is almost unbearable, look out for internal signs of fever, weight loss, stunted bone growth or bone deformities. Do you remember suffering a huge-impact blow on your back or any other part of the body? Have you suffered a slip disc injury before?
Internal bone fracture or splits sometimes lie dormant for weeks, even months, with sudden backache as the result. If you are experiencing weakness/loss of feeling in your legs, it could be an early sign of muscle degeneration or paralysis. Severe back-ache sufferers are also prone to other diseases like osteoporosis and damage to the spinal disc, both of which may be life-threatening. Bowels are also prone to damage during prolonged backaches.
If you engage in a lot of physical activity or go to an office everyday, make note of your posture and body and feet movement. Proper posture, body gestures and work activities go a long way in providing back relief. Always sit on a chair comfortably, and wear comfortable shoes while walking. Feet pressure is intricately connected to back pain – so avoid wearing high-heeled shoes if you have frequent backaches. Obesity is bad news for backs: a heavy body puts greater pressure on the spine. Lifting heavy objects or putting undue pressure on the spine should be completely avoided. Work and personal stress has an impact on back pain – so try working in a relatively stress-free environment.
The most common treatment for chronic back-pain is relaxing and slow exercises. Though there are innumerable available exercises, the choice of the right exercise or posture depends on the specific back ache, and the location of the pain centers along the back. Stretching and knee stretching exercises have been very helpful. Standing and bending against a wall is a frequently followed exercise. Always give adequate support to the lower back while exercising.
A lot of naturally available herbs and oils act as pain and stress relievers. Shallaki is an easily available and very effective analgesic. Olive oil massages are also beneficial.
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