Back pain is one of the health problems that many people encounter in their daily life, which greatly affects their quality of life and is a precursor to other underlying health problems. Studies have revealed that one in five people experience back pain at least once in their lifetime.
What Causes Back Pain?
Back pain; It can be caused by problems related to the skeletal system such as spinal curvature disorders (scoliosis, kyphosis or lordosis), osteoporosis, as well as muscle weakness, musculoskeletal disorders such as lumbar and back hernia and canal stenosis, or various cardiovascular diseases. In this way, back pain is a discomfort that should not be taken lightly because it is caused by a wide variety of health problems. When the health problems that cause back pain are examined, it is seen that the first place is stress-induced posture disorder. The individual under stress involuntarily contracts the muscles in the spine, causing the posture of the neck vertebrae, which normally resembles the letter "C", to straighten.
As a result of the straightening of the neck spine, the exit parts of the nerves going towards the shoulder from the spinal cord narrow and these nerves remain under pressure. With the effect of this pressure, the back muscles are stretched and tension-related back pain occurs for a long time. Knots, called fibrositis, may appear in the tissues of the muscles that remain tense over time. Again, in some people, a hunched posture may occur with the persistence of back pain, which can increase the load on the spine and therefore back muscles and cause aggravation of back pain. In addition, the patient may feel back pain as a result of the spread of pain to the back due to more serious chronic diseases such as coronary heart diseases and lung problems. Health problems that cause back pain can be classified according to the organs and systems they occur in:
- Working in conditions that do not comply with ergonomic rules, especially during long working hours, can be the main cause of back pain. il. Back pain is more common in a person who spends a significant part of the day at a desk, in front of a computer screen. In this case, applying a force on the back muscles causes an increase in pain. Pain can be felt in one part of the back, or it can be felt in the entire back. However, if the pain persists or increases in severity, it is absolutely necessary to consult a specialist. In case of working, the back muscles may remain contracted, causing nerve compression and pain. Back pain may occur due to calcification in tissues. Back pain in osteoporosis patients may be a sign of serious underlying vertebral fractures. In these patients, the pain can be very severe, and if it is not treated for a long time, it can cause serious curvatures and deformities in the spine. The most important symptom of this disease is back pain. Early diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis is very important as it can cause serious health problems as the age progresses. Back pain can also be seen in kyphosis.
- In the presence of various lung diseases, people may experience back pain. In different lung diseases, a complaint of back pain may occur with coughing and/or shortness of breath. and gallbladder diseases also cause pain that radiates to the back or is described from shoulder level to the end of the ribs.
- Fibromyalgia, which is frequently seen in women, and rheumatic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, especially in adolescence, are another cause of back pain. Fibromyalgia is a kind of soft tissue rheumatism and manifests itself with symptoms such as fatigue, stress, bloating and depression, especially with sensitive points in various parts of the body. In this sense, people may apply with the complaint of back pain. The areas where fibrositis is located are the areas where back pain is intense. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can cause back pain as a result of inflammation of the area between the backbone and hipbone.
- Certain skin conditions can also present as back pain. The most prominent among these is shingles, which is caused by the inflammation of the nerve endings in the skin due to viral infection.
- Another cause of back pain is neck hernia. In this case, severe pain in the form of electric shock may occur along the nerve line under pressure, especially as a result of certain neck movements. Especially if complaints such as loss of strength and numbness in the muscles of the arm are added to these pains, a hernia should be suspected.
- In addition to this, nerve diseases such as demyelinating polyneuropathy and acute axonal damage that result in the destruction of the spinal cord and surrounding nerves can also cause back pain.
What are the Types of Back Pain?
According to the duration of back pain It can be divided into acute and chronic. Acute back pain refers to back pain lasting 1-6 weeks and chronic back pain refers to back pain lasting longer than 6 weeks.
Back pain It can also be classified as primary (primary) - problems of the musculoskeletal system in the back region - and secondary (secondary) - back pain due to another underlying cause.
How to Treat Back Pain?
In the case of back pain, the treatment is decided depending on the underlying cause. For this purpose, accompanying complaints with back pain are detected. After the necessary physical examination, additional tests such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electromyelography (EMG) are requested. All these are evaluated together and a diagnosis is made.
If the pain is due to musculoskeletal disorders, exercises to correct the body posture and daily lifestyle changes are recommended. In addition, the use of orthopedic and ergonomic products may be recommended.
Painkillers, muscle relaxants and ointments applied to that area can be prescribed according to the severity and location of the pain. When drug therapy is not sufficient, alternative applications such as physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, neural therapy and soft laser can be applied.
Also, it is important to control the stress factor, which is an important factor in the development of back pain. It may be recommended to eliminate the factors that affect the person's stress level, to make changes in lifestyle, for example, to take a short vacation or to take up various hobbies. In addition to all these, the help of a psychiatrist may be on the agenda to learn healthy ways of coping with stress.
Strengthening the back muscles and skeletal system with regular exercise after the applied treatments increases the success and permanence of the back pain treatment.
How to Treat Back Pain?
In addition to the treatment approaches mentioned above, one of the most basic approaches to back pain is to reach an ideal weight and eat healthy. In addition, regular exercise is also very beneficial. In this way, back pain can be alleviated by trying practices that are good for back pain and changing daily habits. However, in the presence of long-term and severe back pain, a specialist should be consulted. provides a reduction. Small but effective lifestyle changes, such as sleeping on an orthopedic mattress with a suitable hardness, using a supportive bra, avoiding carrying heavy loads, and trying to keep the body position upright while sitting and walking, are also effective in reducing back pain.
What are Useful Exercises for Back Pain?
After a little warm-up, you can apply the following exercise suggestions to relieve your back pain:
- By standing in front of the wall with your hands at the level of your head, leaning forward against the wall, while sitting in a chair, bringing your hands behind your head and flexing backwards can be done for back pain. It is one of the exercises.
- Lying your back against the wall and lowering and raising your arms without losing contact with the wall can also relieve your back pain.
- In addition, you can do exercises by bringing the shoulder blades closer together and away from each other.
- By extending the legs. Sitting on the floor and leaning towards the navel by keeping the legs to the sides, and raising and lowering the arms in this position are also good for back pain. While contracting the abdominal muscles, you can extend your left arm forward and your right leg back, and then repeat the movement with your other arm and leg. taking supplements and keeping the vitamin D in the body at a certain level are also beneficial in relieving back pain.
What Causes Back Pain During Pregnancy
Weight gain during pregnancy and the baby's weight gain As pregnancy progresses, the weight of the back and waist muscles increases due to the increase in the weight of the back pain complaint may occur.
With the effect of increasing hormones during pregnancy, relaxation occurs in the joints in the body. In this way, the body prepares for birth. This preparation process disrupts the physiological order of the spine and can cause back pain. During pregnancy, with the growth of the baby and the uterus, the center of gravity of the body shifts forward and the load carried by the spine increases. On the other hand, back pain occurs when the tension of the muscles increases in order to keep the body in balance.
It may occur during pregnancy.
Read: 0
