Back Pain

Suffering from Back Pain?

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The chances are, if you are reading this you or someone you know is one of the millions of people who suffer from back pain at sometime during their life. 

Many people will experience back pain and then go on to make a very good recovery.  Most back pain will have a simple cause and will clear up quickly but for some people having back pain becomes a way of life. 

The Anatomy. The back is a very complicated and important area of the body.  It is made up of 24 individual bones called Vertebrae running from the base of your skull at the top down to your pelvis at the bottom.  Each little bump you can feel as you run your fingers down the middle of your back is a vertebra (you might need someone else’s back to feel!)  The vertebrae in the neck, of which there are 7, are small and difficult to count.  The middle 12 vertebrae are attached to the ribs and these are your thoracic vertebrae and the 5 big ones at the bottom of your back are called the lumber vertebrae.

The vertebrae are held together by strong ‘leather’ like structures called ligaments.

The bony vertebrae and attached to the one above and below at a joint called the facet joint.  This allows the vertebrae to move as column, giving it both flexibility and stability.  If these facet joints become affected by arthritis, you may experience back pain and stiffness as a result.   The discs between the vertebrae can also become thinner and little bits of bone called osteophytes can form on the edges of the vertebrae and around the facet joints.  This common type of wear and tear is known as Spondylosis.

The spinal cord runs from your brain down the middle of this bony column and at each vertebral level a pair of nerve roots emerge, these nerve roots carry the nerves from the spine out into the body.  All the information from the brain to the different areas of the body and back to the brain is carried along these delicate nerves.  Pain due to nerve irritation such as sciatica can be felt away from the source of the problem, which is usually in the back.  It is common for people with sciatica to present with thigh; leg or even foot pain although the irritation to the nerve is in the back this is called referred pain.  

In between each of these vertebrae are shock absorbers called intervertebral discs.  As we get older these discs become less able to change shape and spring back and start to show signs of wear and tear. These discs can become worn or damaged and the soft jelly centre of the disc can rupture through the fibrous outer layers.  This bulge from the disc can press onto the nerve as it comes out of the spine and ‘mess up’ the information being carried along the nerve to the brain.  The brain interprets this as pain in the area being supplied by the nerve.  You can get allsorts of strange feelings associated with sciatica such as tingling, numbness even feeling like spiders are walking up and down your leg!! 

Some symptoms require urgent and immediate medical attention so you must always see a doctor if you suspect you have sciatica (or any other nerve involvement). 

 
Spinal stenosis can also present as pain commonly in both legs when walking and is usually relieved by resting or walking bent over.  This condition can be misdiagnosed as a circulatory problem called Intermittent Claudication which although presents in a similar way requires very different treatment.   These are serious medical conditions that need assessing and treating by your doctor.

Muscles surrounding the back are responsible for the movement, strength and flexibility. There are layers of muscle around the back that provide stability and it is very important to remember the essential role the abdominal muscles (stomach muscles or 6 pack) play in prevention and management of back pain.

Back Pain can be described as acute or chronic.  Acute pain is usually short term following an injury or accident whereas chronic pain is felt day after day, month after month and though it can be helped it is typically difficult to cure.

Back pain can be felt as,
· Sharp and stabbing
· Burning
· Dull or Aching
· Cramping
· Heavy
· Squeezing

Acute back pain forms part of the bodies defence mechanism and is very important. This response keeps us safe by moving us away from danger quickly, for example if you accidentally put your hand into very hot water you need to remove it quickly to prevent burning!!  This response promotes learning, the next time you see water you will probably check how hot it is before plunging your hand in to prevent burning your hand again.  

 
Acute pain can also help to protect from further injury. 
A strained or pulled muscle in your back can occur after an awkward movement, over reaching or a difficult lift. If the muscle or ligaments are damaged the back can go into spasm.  This spasm (a cramp like feeling) helps the body to keep the area still and prevent further damage.  The problem, however, is that the spasm prevents the gentle movement which is required for recovery and it can result in the damaged muscle becoming weaker.  This puts the back at an even greater risk of future injuries.

Failure to treat this period of acute pain effectively may result in it becoming chronic pain. Treatment of acute pain is usually more straight forward and can usually be controlled by painkillers.

Chronic back pain is pain that is felt most days for at least three months.  Chronic pain is associated with many long-term conditions and more common in older people.  The causes of chronic pain are sometimes easy to identify, for example pain felt from Spondylosis and sometimes it is impossible to find a cause for chronic back pain.  It is difficult to see how chronic back pain can help the body as a defence mechanism as the pain felt can sometimes be totally out of proportion to the underlying condition. 

 
Chronic back pain that becomes an illness in itself can be extremely difficult to manage because of the complexity.  If the pain is made up of physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual components all of these will need to be addressed to effectively control the pain.  This can be difficult to tackle alone but with support you maybe able to find some relief.  Please ask if you need our support.

The intensity of back pain can vary from mild to agonising and varies hugely between people.

Having back pain at night can lead to a lack of sleep and therefore tiredness and fatigue during the day.  Back pain can limit activities of daily living and stop you doing things that are important; this can impact on your work and your home life and hobbies.   Pain can affect your immune system and make it easier to pick up infections.  If you are suffering with your back find out now how the experts at Howsme can help.

The physical problems of tiredness and fatigue can lead withdrawal from activities in an attempt to try and rest and this over time can lead to isolation.  Not being able to function effectively can cause anxiety, stress and depression all of which can make the pain feel worse.
The longer your back pain continues, the more your movements will be affected, your back may begin to stiffen up and your muscle may get weaker.  Get help now there are experts waiting online.

Following the correct diagnosis from your doctor we can support you on your road to recovery, get help today

Updated: 1st October 2009