Back pain is one of the most prevalent causes of people suffering and missing their working days at the office. This is also one of the leading causes of people disabled worldwide. With the advent of the latest technologies impacting the treatment, people get relief from back pain. You should follow a few prevention methods, but if your body mechanics fail to protect you from back pain, you should visit a specialist.
Symptoms
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Muscle ache
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Stabbing or shooting pain
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Radiating pain down the leg
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Unable to bend, lift, stand, or walk due to pain
When to Visit a Doctor
Mostly, back pain improves with regular treatment and care within a few weeks. If you do not see such signs, you should call a doctor. In a few but very rare cases back pain badly affects daily life. Under these conditions, a person should immediately seek help from a specialist
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Bowel or bladder issues
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Fever
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Pain spreads to other body parts
Causes for Back Pain
Strain in Muscles or Ligament
Constant heavy lifting and awkward moments can strain muscles and ligaments in the spine. Repeated strains on the same muscle group can cause muscle spasms.
Bulging Discs
Discs are like cushions between the vertebrae or bones. The soft material acts like a cushion. If it bulges or ruptures, it presses the nerve and causes back pain. However, there could be no pain with bulging or ruptured discs in a few cases.
Arthritis
Your lower back can be affected by osteoarthritis. Arthritis in the spine can make the space narrow around the spinal cord. This condition is referred to as spinal stenosis.
Skeletal Irregularity
In this condition, the spine curves to a side. This is called scoliosis. It causes back pain often but mainly in the mid-age.
Examples of Acute Pain
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If you touch something hot like an iron or a stove, immediately that body part will get immense pain and will burn. After a few seconds or minutes of feeling the pain, you may experience a pain like an ache.
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You are likely to get pain if your finger is smashed with a hammer. This is similar to the pain you feel while touching something hot and then a slow aching pain.
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Labor pain and pain related to childbirth are some of the most common ones, and the cause is obvious.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain falls in the category of chronic pain, but it feels different than chronic musculoskeletal pain. This pain can be described well as shooting, stabbing, burning, lightning-like or severe pain. If a sensory or motor nerve is injured in your peripheral nervous system it can cause neuropathy. The reasons can be found and treated. If medical attention is not available or delayed, this pain can be severe.
Chronic Pain
A pain that lasts longer than three weeks to six months is called chronic pain. Tissue healing does not reduce this pain. This pain is often referred to as chronic benign pain or chronic non-cancer pain when pain is experienced due to cancer which is more chronic pain than acute pain.
Visit Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management and get in touch with a back specialist in OKC.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.
