Backache - Overview
Backache is a common complaint affecting people of any age, at any time; even though it is commonly seen in people between 35 to 55 years. Although rare, even children may suffer from back pain, mainly due to incorrect posture and poor lifestyle. In modern times, given our sedentary lifestyle that requires spending long hours on various gadgets and perhaps longer hours at work, backache has become an increasingly common occurrence.
Moreover, most of us do not pay much attention to our sitting or standing postures. Therefore, our spine - which is ideally supposed to be flexible - has to deal with damages caused by wrong posture, bad lifestyle, lack of exercise, excess weight and nutritional deficiencies. Bones, muscles and ligaments soon fail to work synchronously, causing an annoying, dull, aching pain, soreness and stiffness from the neck all the way down to the tail bone, further limiting and restricting movement, and accentuating all back problems.
Severe backache is disabling and interferes with daily life; it is often the leading cause of absenteeism from school and work.
Backache Symptoms
Muscle soreness, shooting pain in the back, stiffness or pain upon slight motion brought about by coughing and sneezing are some of the symptoms of backache. For more symptoms.
Causes of Backache
Backache can be caused by various reasons. The causative factor determines the type of backache. To know the common causes for backache
Types of Backache
Acute backache, sub-acute backache and chronic backache are different types of backache. To know details about each of them
Homeopathic Treatment for Back Pain
Homeopathic medicines are very effective in treating backache. Clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment for backache
Backache - Types
• acute backache: just one episode gets resolved easily in six to seven weeks from the onset
• sub-acute backache: the episode of pain gets resolved between 7and 12 weeks from its onset
• chronic backache: the episode lasts for more than 12 weeks
Backache - Causes
• Poor posture - such as bad mattress, straining muscles and ligaments at work or while playing or sitting incorrectly at the desk or steering wheel, pushing, pulling and lifting things carelessly.
• Injuries - twisting caused by accidents or playing sports.
• Arthritis - age-related changes in the vertebrae.
• Structural problems - resulting in backaches.
• Ruptured or bulging disks - sudden injury or pressure over cushions of the disk can lead to disc rupture, which results in pressure on a nerve, resulting in backaches.
• Abnormal curvature of the spine - in some diseases, the spine seems to be curved with a tilt towards one side.
• Osteoporosis - the bones become brittle and porous, leading to compression of the spine and fracture.
• Cancer of the spine.
• Infection of the spine - for example, tuberculosis and pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Other infections -infection of the uterus or kidney.
• Sleep disorders - individuals with sleep disorders are more likely to experience backache as compared to others.
• Shingles - an infection that can affect the nerves.
Risk factors
Anyone can develop a backache, including children and teenagers, though there is no adequate research to prove what contributes to backache. Notably, the following factors may put someone at a greater risk of developing backaches:
• age - common with the advancement of age, generally starts between 30 and 40 years
• sedentary lifestyle - lack of exercise makes the muscles weak, causing backache
• excess weight on the spine
• carrying heavy school bags or office bags
• carrying a laptop bag
• excess weight or obesity
• wearing high heels or improper footwear
• heavy workouts
• diseases - some types of arthritis and cancer can contribute to back pain
• improper lifting - bending actions, such as lifting a child or lifting heavy objects from the ground
• psychological conditions - people prone to depression and anxiety appear to have a greater risk of backache
• smoking
• genetics - there is some evidence that certain types of spinal disorders are inherited, such as HLAB27
• jobs that require long hours of standing or sitting without a break - people with careers such as receptionists, traffic police or those that involve sitting on a chair for long hours, namely, call centre workers, IT engineers, etc.
Backache - Symptoms
• soreness of the muscles, dull aches or sharp, shooting pain
• stiffness
• pain upon slight motion brought about by coughing and sneezing
• pain with a tingling sensation in the arms or legs
• mild swelling over the affected area
• weakness in the muscles or reduced power
• pinched nerve sensations
• discomfort so severe that the patient wakes up from their sleep
• altered sensations in the affected area
• tilted spine
Backache - Diagnosis
1. The diagnosis for back pain begins with a detailed clinical evaluation.
2. A detailed examination of the patient’s range of movements is conducted by asking them to perform certain actions of the joints. This helps the doctors analyse and plan the set of exercises a patient must practise.
3. In case of a doubt, a second opinion or scan (i.e., CT or MRI scan) may be advised.
Complications
Apart from causing physical disability, backache can also be the reason behind the patient’s emotional trauma.
Physical complications:
• weight gain, obesity
• life-long disability
• nerve damage
• urinary incontinence, that is, urinating unintentionally
• difficulty urinating
• faecal incontinence, that is, loss of bowel control
• numbness around the genitals, anus and buttocks
Emotional complications:
Pain can come in the way of enjoying normal, daily activities, adversely affecting the quality of life.
Few emotional complications include the following:
• The patient may not enjoy activities such as cooking because of their pain.
• The patient may start avoiding family outings, functions or parties because they find it difficult to travel with intense pain.
• Limited body movements get in the way of family life, such as playing with kids or simply being active and enthusiastic at home.
• High-impact sports, such as cricket, basketball or squash, and even dancing may become difficult due to stiffness and soreness in the back.
• Backache hampers concentration at work.
• Backache may cause disturbed sleep.
• Patients with backaches become increasingly irritable, sad or depressed and anxious, because they may have to depend on others for helping with simple, routine activities through the day.
Backache - Treatment
A clinical trial conducted in the UK on acute backache has shown homeopathy to have equal effectiveness as conventional treatments in treating the pain, but without any side-effects.
According to a clinical study conducted at the Orthopaedic University, Switzerland, patients who received homeopathic treatment along with physiotherapy showed swift improvement as compared to those who received physiotherapy alone.
At a clinical trial demonstrated on marathon runners in Oslo, Norway, those who received homeopathic remedy reported less muscle soreness than those who received placebo.