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Information on low back pain, arthritis, conditions, causes, diagnosis, symptoms, pain relief, prevention, surgery and other treatment options. Your back is a complex structure of bones, muscles and tissues. The lumbar region, where most pain is felt, supports the weight of the upper body. Back pain, one of the most common and painful ailments, can be hard to treat.

Symptoms:Acute back pain is treated with muscle relaxantsor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Applications of compresses using heat or cold also can be helpful to some patients. Patients are recommended by one source, do not worry, and to stay active. Acute LBP often resolves within a short time. Some patients may be prescribed opiod analgesics (pain relievers with codeine or codeine similars), however, statistics demonstrate no shortening of the healing period, as noted above. The use of muscle relaxants may increase risk of further damage, but they have been shown to be more effective than placebo (though no better than NSAIDS alone) in relieving acute pain. If the patient has not experienced some improvement after several weeks of treatment, the doctor will reinvestigate the cause of the pain.

1.Muscle spasms, cramping, and stiffness.

2.Pain, mostly in the back and buttocks. The pain may develop quickly or over a longer period of time. Pain generally occurs in episodes. It is aggravated by weight-bearing or specific movements and is relieved by rest. The most severe pain usually lasts 48 to 72 hours and may be followed by days or weeks of less severe pain. The back is easily reinjured during this time.

3. Leg pain. If pain extends below the knee, it is more likely to be due to pressure on a nerve than to a muscle problem. Most commonly, the pain starts in the buttock and travels down the back of the leg as far as the ankle or foot. This pain pattern is known as sciatica .

4.Pain may come on suddenly or gradually. It may vary from mild to severe, and it can be constant or it may come and go. It is usually sharp and burning and is made worse by sneezing, coughing, or straining to pass stools. Some people describe it as a shooting pain. The pain usually affects only one leg.

5.Depending on the cause of your low back pain, symptoms may be better or worse in various positions, such as bending forward (flexion) or backwards (extension). If bending forward increases symptoms, walking, lying down, and movements that straighten (extend) the spine usually relieve symptoms. The opposite is also true: if your symptoms are worse when you stand or walk, they are usually relieved by sitting down or lying down on your back with your knees bent, and by gentle exercises to bend your spine forward (flex).

6.Pain can also be made worse by activities that cause you to forcefully contract the core muscles of your trunk, such as a cough, sneeze, or a difficult bowel movement, or if you hold your breath during an activity (Valsalva maneuver).

7.Nerve-related problems, such as tingling, numbness, or weakness in one leg or in the foot, lower leg, or both legs. Tingling may begin in the buttock and extend to the ankle or foot. Weakness or numbness in both legs, or loss of bladder and/or bowel control, are symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, which requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of arthritis of the spine generally include pain and stiffness that are worse in the back and hip region. Arthritis pain starts gradually, gets worse over time, and lasts longer than 3 to 6 months. It is generally worse in the morning or after prolonged periods of inactivity. Arthritis pain gets better when you move around. Symptoms caused by arthritis and symptoms due to back injury are often similar and commonly occur together.

Lower back pain is pain felt and travels in the ribs particularly in the back or in the upper part of legs. This pain starts suddenly and could be the follow up of strain or an injury. Sometimes the pain may not have anatomical cause. Sit up or turn over posture may be difficult and the worse could be bending or sitting. Even a sneeze or a cough can be painful.

Back pain normally gets resolved within weeks but the pain undergone by the patients is unbearable. Conservational treatments are normally taken for lower back pain since it is temporary and slowly resolve with time.

The main reason for lower back pain can be Lumbar muscle strain and ruptured disc or herniated disc. Disc damage in the inter vertebral column leads to Discogenic lower back pain and this could be diagnosed using discogram. But this in no way relates to herniated disc where the back gets pressed to the nerve. Aging population come across Spinal stenosis as the spinal canal is thinned. This may happen due to arthritis or any other specific conditions. Any joint ache is termed arthritis and particularly on the spine creates lower back pain.

Spinal stenosis causes back pain in the aging population. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions. If the spinal canal becomes too tight, back pain can be the result. Spondylolisthesis occurs due to the instability of adjacent vertebras which start to slip. This results in unstable spine and ends in lower back pain. Osteoporosis leads to many orthopedic complications and is mostly referred as the compression fractures of vertebral column. This weakens the bones and hence the possibilities of getting fractures are more .If back pain continues for 6 weeks or less it’s referred as acute. If this continues for less than 12 weeks it is described as sub-acute. It’s termed as chronic if it persists for more than 3 months.

Diagnosis is helped by blood tests and scan but not to a greater extent and X rays are not advised due to high radiation. Muscle strain heals quickly as the blood supply is good and carries the needed nutrients with proteins for healing. Bed rest is advised for severe pain but not for two days or more. Hot or cold application eases the pain to a certain extent. People who are active with good physique can avoid low backache, as there will be regular stretch of muscles. The supporting muscles of the spine are extensors, which include back and gluteal muscles, Flexors, which comprise abdominal and iliopsoas muscles and the last one is the side muscles also called as rotators. It’s also referred as Obliques .Not all these muscles are used in day-to-day life and they get weakened with age.

Lower backache exercise program should combine stretching and strengthening exercises with aerobics. Common symptoms of lower back pain for people less than 60 year old will be pain in legs or numbness and pain during movement and sitting. Older people will have symptoms like increase of back pain during the morning and evening periods with stiffness in the back and. pain is also felt downwards in the legs. Psychological reasons play main role on pain levels and so person’s attitude and situation plays an active role.

Neurological symptoms like weakening, feeling of numbness or tingling sometimes accompany pain. Immediate attention is needed if there is a dysfunction in bladder or in the bowel and weakness or numbness in the groin.

Precautions like avoidance of stress and maintaining proper weight with regular exercise help in eliminating the problems of lower back pain.