Archive for the ‘Back and Hip Pain’ Category

Lower Back Pain Treatments

Lower back pain is causing a great concern in the United States. Moreover because it is in a recent study it is anticipated that four out of five adults in the United States will experience lower back pain in some point of their lives. Back pain being a common problem may sometimes hamper ones day to day life and may even lead to surgery. So it is always recommended to consult your physician even for the smallest back pain symptoms you will notice and get the advice before the problem grows.

Back Pain is indeed a very painful experience and ironically the severity of pain is often unrelated to the extent of physical damage it has caused. A simple strain can be extremely painful, while a herniated disk between vertebrate may cause little or no pain at all. That is why it is always beneficial that you may go in for many types of back pain tests that are available and can be administered to more accurately determine the cause of your pain.

Common causes of lower back pain can be found in the following:

  1. • Injury to the bones, joints or ligaments in the lower back
  2. • Smaller nerves running along and inside the spine becoming irritated or damaged
  3. • Strain to the lower back muscles, or erector spine
  4. • Damage to the inter vertebral disks, which separate the vertebrate
  5. • Irritated nerve roots connected to the hips, legs or even arms

At times many physical injuries can be attributed to specific incidents but still lower back pain may be slow-building, yet progressive. This can make it difficult to notice complicated lower back problems before they require treatment. Although lower back pain does not require emergency medical attention, a few symptoms may be signs of severe medical conditions.

Back pain as we have discussed is slow yet progressive and rarely requires emergency medical attention. But it is highly recommended that you consult your physician and follow his advice to avoid such emergency situations. In some cases if anytime you experience the following symptoms with a regular slow back pain you need to have an expert for emergency medical attention.

The symptoms are

  • Severe or constant pain in the lower back or abdominal region
  • Sudden bowel or bladder movements
  • A progressive feeling of weakness in the legs

An immediate medical attention saves you from any damage to your body and excruciating pain it may cause to you. For severe or chronic back pain, you should consider seeking lower back pain treatment, which is available in many forms. Lower back exercise can both help with back pain relief, and prevent it from recurring later. Most low back pain can be treated without surgery. Treatment involves using analgesics, reducing inflammation, restoring proper function and strength to the back, and preventing recurrence of the injury. Most patients with back pain recover without residual functional loss. Patients should contact a doctor if there is not a noticeable reduction in pain and inflammation after 72 hours of self-care. The best way is to take necessary precautions and make necessary changes in lifestyle, standing, sitting and sleeping positions and doing regular exercise. It is best to keep the back pain away from you and your family.

Dhiraj
Lower Back Pain Symptoms and Treatment Options
Most lower back pain is due to muscle strain or a specific condition such as disc degeneration or herniation.

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Home care for Lower Back Pain

Virtually all lower back pain will get better within just a few short days to a couple weeks with the help of a physical therapist like a physiotherapist, chiropractic specialist or perhaps an osteopath to assist with exercise routines, guidance and medication and therapy. Herniated discs and pinched nerves could take more time to mend. However, it is rare for people to need a surgical procedure.

Home care for Lower Back Pain

In the initial two or three days you must try to minimize pain as well as facilitate recovery.

Place ice-cubes inside a moist tea-towel (use frozen peas if ice is not available) or use a sports ice-pack but under no circumstances use ice directly on your skin. Place the ice-pack onto the painful area of the lower back for about twenty or so minutes every one or two hours.

Stay away from heat, alcohol or massage in the first couple of days as this could increase swelling and inflammation of the affected area. Stay away from activities that you may not need to do

Do not sit for long periods until the soreness reduces. Refrain from prolonged vehicle travel except if is really crucial

If relaxing, lay on your back, belly, or side and use pillows for support.

Keep moving. Walk and move around as much as you are able to without a lot of discomfort. To start with this could be limited and could necessitate using crutches or perhaps a walking frame. Walk frequently and slowly build up the distance.

Use pain relief as needed but do not count on drugs to eliminate pain entirely. Almost all lower back pain gets better over time.

Don’t let discomfort and pain control your daily life. Look for alternative methods to carry out the things that are actually triggering your back pain.

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Herniated Disc Surgery or Discectomy

Herniated Disc Surgery or Discectomy

When a fragment of spinal disc becomes dislodged and affects the spinal canal then herniated disc surgery or discectomy may be necessary to remove the herniated disc.

Herniated Disc Surgery

Herniated Disc Surgery

The dislodging of the spinal disc is usually accompanied by extreme pain and treatment needs to be effected with some urgency as the dislodged disc is often pressing against the spinal cord. In some cases it can cause stress to other nerves surrounding the spinal cord.

Apart from the extreme pain there is often lower back and hip pain as well as leg pain and sometimes muscle weakness.

Before undergoing herniated disc surgery, your surgeon will determine the extent of dislodgement of the spinal disc including using an MRI scan to ascertain the amount of disc degeneration.
Although most commonly found in older people, this condition can also result from such things as falls and accidents.

Symptoms

Pain not unlike an electric shock is often experienced when the nerves in the cervical and lumbar regions are stressed. This pain can be quite excruciating and can often be felt down the legs and in the arms.

Other symptoms can be numbness in the legs and a tingling sensation.

If the condition is left untreated it can lead to other problems such as difficulty with bowel movements and urinating.

Diagnosing

An MRI scan is used to discover the extent of the damage. In addition muscle strength, reflexes and other sensations in the limbs are measured.

Herniated Disc Surgery

In very broad terms herniated disc surgery involves removing the fragment of the spinal disc has been dislodged. This relieves the pressure on the nerves which was the root cause of the symptoms.

Open Discectomy

In this procedure a 3 cm incision is made to remove the fragment thus relieving pressure on the nerve. The length of the operation depends on the extent of damage but usually lasts about one hour.

Endoscopic Discectomy

This procedure involves using an endoscope, a piece of surgical apparatus containing a tiny camera that is used to locate the offending fragment and the necessary tools to enable removal of the herniated disc. Using this method involves very tiny incisions and can be done in some cases under local anaesthetic, meaning recovery time is reduced.

Recovery

As expected there is some pain around the incisions which is controlled using oral medication. The pain associated with the dislodged disc will usually disappear or decrease after a few weeks. Generally only one day in hospital is required. After surgery it is recommended to use caution when moving around and sometimes a lumbar corset brace may be prescribed.

Generally most patients get total or near total reduction in the symptoms.

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