Understanding Back Pain: Types, Causes, Exercises, and Treatment Options

Back pain is one of the most common ailments that humans suffer from and dramatically affects our quality of life in the long run. People who suffer from chronic back pain experience various other problems, like obesity, cholesterol, and anxiety, thanks to a lack of activity. According to WHO, around 619 million individuals suffer from lower back pain, making the ailment a significant concern.

This article explains the various types of back pain treatments, symptoms, and the multiple reasons that aggravate back pain. Through this article, we aim to give you a comprehensive understanding of how to tackle your back pain problems by working with back pain doctors and specialists!

Anatomy Of The Back

The spine or the spinal column consists of 24 bones that make up the vertebrae, which protect the spinal cord. The spinal cord is connected to the base of the brain and is responsible for the entire body’s functionality via the nerve roots. Between the 24 bones are various tissues, facet joints, discs, and muscles, which together make the backbone!

Types Of Back Pain

Acute Back Pain – This short-term back pain lasts 4-6 weeks and is mainly caused by an injury or stain.Most common causes of acute back pain include sports injuries, and require immediate attention to prevent the pain from deteriorating further. 

Chronic Back Pain – One of the most common kinds of back pain is chronic back pain, which lowers the quality of life and makes performing day-to-day activities difficult. It is something that can last for many years.

Mechanical Back Pain – Mechanical back pain is mainly caused due to severe injuries and strain to the joints. The most common cause of mechanical back pain is sports injury. 

Radicular Back Pain – This pain starts in the back and radiates to the legs. This pain is caused due to a pinched nerve, herniated discs, injury, ageing, or spinal stenosis.

Axial Back – Axial back pain is a chronic lower back pain that does not radiate to other body parts. It is caused by various reasons, like soft tissue damage, facet joint problems, and degenerative disc disease, to name a few.

Referred Pain – Referred pain is a type of back pain originating from other ailments related to organs like the kidney or the uterus. Back pain treatment for referred pain varies depending on the root cause.

Causes Of Back Pain

Back pain has many causes, and a few of the most common causes of back pain are –

• Incorrect Posture
• Stagnant Lifestyle
• Injuries
• Muscle Strains
• Fractures
• Sciatica
• Spinal Stenosis
• Spondylosis
• Tumors &
• Infections.
• Sports injury

Common Symptoms Of Back Pain

Back pain can manifest in various forms, and at times, back pain might not even be related to the parts of the vertebrae or the spine, but here are a few of the most common back pain symptoms you should watch out for are –

• Muscular pain in the lower, middle and upper back
• Limited range of motion
• Stiffness and discomfort during mobility or rest
• Numbness in and around the back ( can be felt near arms and legs as well)
• Tingling sensation
• Radiated pain to the legs, abdomen, arms or the pelvic region.

We advise you to visit your doctors if you feel any of the above symptoms and obtain the best treatments available to help you relieve the pain or discomfort and to avoid any long-term effects that might occur in case of not getting treated at the right time. 

Diagnosis Of Back Pain

Physical Examination – In this procedure, the doctor will first understand your back pain symptoms and then check the range of motion mobility and feel for tenderness, inflammation or strain to arrive at a treatment plan.

Imaging Techniques – Doctors can advise patients to get X-rays and CT Scans to analyze and detect any issues with the spinal cord, muscles, facet joints or tissues for a more advanced treatment program.

Nerve Tests – These tests are performed to determine if there is any damage to the nerve or to detect compression.

Treatment Method For Back Pain

A few of the best treatment options for back pain are –

Platelet-Rich Plasma  – In this treatment, doctors harvest platelets from the patient’s blood and inject them in the area of pain to help repair old tissues by developing new and healthy tissues.

Platelet-Rich Plasma or PRP treatment is one of the most effective forms of non-invasive back pain treatments available to patients suffering from acute back pains caused by sports injuries and strains. PRP has also shown desirable results in chronic back pain patients.

The treatment is most common amongst sportsmen and women due to it being less risky, time-efficient, effective and non-invasive. 

Radiofrequency Ablation – Here, doctors use heat to block the nerve signals transmitting pain and give long-term relief to back pain.

Nerve Blocks – Local anesthetics are administered near specific nerves to alleviate pain in this treatment.

We hope this article has helped you understand the causes, symptoms, types, and treatment options for back pain. For more information related to back pain, visit www.epionepainandspine.com or schedule a consultation with our pain management specialist in Bangalore for expert care and treatment.