Back Pain and Spine Care

Back Pain and Spine Care

Back Pain &  Spine Care – Article by Sarah Worthington

BACK PAIN is a very common condition and will affect most of us at some time in our lives.

The causes can be wide-ranging and complex. The good news is that in most cases it isn’t a serious problem, and it might just be caused by a simple strain to a muscle or ligament.

Back 2 Health Chiropractic wellness center Uganda

So, what do we do about it?

Firstly, we need to understand what is causing the pain and how to improve it. But, perhaps more importantly, we need to understand how to prevent pain and recurrence.

 

Back pain can affect any part of your spine; the most common occurs in your low back – your Lumbar spine. Pain in your upper back – your Thoracic spine (and frequently across your shoulders) is often related to bad posture. Neck pain – Cervical Spine pain commonly results in headaches.
The spine is made up of 24 individual bones (Vertebrae) separated by a jelly-like Intervertebral disc. At the base of the spine several vertebrae are fused into the Sacrum which is connected to the pelvis.

The spine protects the spinal cord, which is part of the Central Nervous System. It is like segmented armour that can bend and move naturally with the body. Under the armour a lot is happening. Messages travel from around the body up and down the spinal cord and into the brain. The brain processes these messages and sends replies back down the spinal cord to the body.

Back Pain Spine Health brain diagram2
Dr Roger Sperry 1981 Nobel Prize Winner for Brain Research

The Central Nervous System is one big information highway carrying vital messages to all parts of your body. This is one of the main reasons why it is imperative to look after your spine; there’s no such thing as a spine transplant!

 

Back pain is most commonly caused by injury to the structure of the spine; the joints between the vertebrae, the intervertebral disc, and associated muscles and ligaments. Injury can be sudden, i.e. from an accident, fall, or lifting something heavy. Or it can develop over time due to age-related degeneration, bad posture, and repetitive strain. Uncommonly, some diseases and other conditions can cause back pain. This is why it is important to get a proper diagnosis for the cause of your pain. This can be done by a medical doctor, chiropractor, or physiotherapist.

Treatment options include:

Medical intervention, usually in the form of pain medication for uncomplicated mechanical pain. Pain medication and continuing normal activities will often result in resolution of your pain as most conditions are self-limiting – the body has an amazing capacity to heal itself.

 

However, this does not address the cause of the problem and it is therefore likely to recur at some time.

 

Whereas manual treatment, such as that provided by a Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, acupuncturist, or massage therapist, often avoids the need for medication, and addresses the dysfunction whilst also aiming to provide rehabilitation and prevention of recurrence.

Back Pain Prevention

We cannot easily control against injury, disease, and age. But we are able to prevent spine disorders that result from misuse or lack of use. When we understand these factors, we can recognize how to prevent most spinal issues.

Lack of Use refers to reduced activity, particularly of the spine, resulting in weak muscles unable to support normal function and reduced flexibility, which can cause an increased likelihood of sprains and strains during normal activity. The answer? Stay active! Adults should be aiming for at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. So, take up a sport, play physical games, get a dog that needs regular walks, or go out dancing!

Misuse comes in various forms. Prolonged postures, such as sitting or standing for too long, are common causes of pain. More frequently, we as humans are sitting behind a desk for many hours of the day.

sitting at desk too much evolution
Bback pain prevention Correct posture diagram

This is unnatural for our spine and will ultimately lead to back issues in most people. Get up and move! It is recommended that we move from a seated position every twenty minutes to prevent dysfunction and disease.

Poor posture

Poor posture whilst sitting, standing, sleeping, driving, lifting, using a phone, tablet, or computer can all lead to and exacerbate dysfunction in the spine. 

We must learn to use the correct postures for these activities. We will discuss more on this in a later article.

 

Overuse or overloading. Repetition of the same activity can cause strain on the joints and muscles, in much the same way that your favourite song or movie would get annoying if it was all you ever listened to or watched. Avoid repetitive behaviours and activities. Overloading refers to putting stress on your joints and spine.

What Causes Spinal Dysfunction?

  • Direct injury or Trauma—Accidents, falls, car crash, sporting injuries, acts of violence
  • Disease
  • Age—From the time of skeletal maturity (25–30 years old) our bones begin to degenerate. This degeneration increases with age.
  • Misuse—Poor posture, repetitive behaviours, overuse
  • Lack of use—Keeping a healthy spine means keeping an active spine and a healthy lifestyle.
  • A combination of the above and/or related psychological and environmental conditions.

Through lifting or carrying something heavy, you need to learn how to perform chores and activities without putting undue stress on your system.

Unhealthy Lifestyle.

This denotes multiple factors including psychological, environmental, and chemical. Here are some examples of unhealthy activities that can negatively impact our spinal health; Eating poorly, becoming dehydrated, lack of sleep, smoking.

Steps to take if you are suffering from back pain

  1. Consult your Doctor, Chiropractor, or Physiotherapist as soon as possible following the onset of pain (it is far easier to solve an acute problem rather than a chronic pain).
  2. Pain that is mechanical in nature (unrelated to an underlying disease) is best treated through manual therapy such as that provided by a Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Massage therapist, or Acupuncture.
  3. Your therapist can also teach you postural exercises and ergonomics to rehabilitate your spine and the associated muscles and ligaments, and aid in preventing recurrence.

For more Information

Please contact:

Back 2 Health Limited
150177 Kampala GPO, 1808 Moyo Close, Bukoto 1
Tel: +256 758 478 992 / +256 752 994 469

Email: back2healthug@gmail.com

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