Low Backache
In today's era majority of people are suffering from backache, So I am going to talk about it. It is one of the leading causes of disability in the health sector. To clearly understand the lower backache we have to first understand the anatomy of the Spine.
Do you know your spine?
Your spine is made up of 33 vertebrae (bones) and 23 intervertebral disks. The Spine is divided into 5 cervical (neck ), 12 thoracics (upper back ), 5lumbar (lower back), 5sacral, and 4 coccyx (tailbone). Each Veretebra has a solid part in front, the vertebral body, and a hole in the back. When lined up in the spinal column, these holes form the spinal canal. This canal serves as a protective passageway for the Spinal Cord that extends from head to lower spine.
Intervertebral disc
Every vertebra is separated by the cartilage which consists of semi-fluid in the center (nucleus ) and held together by a cartilage ring(annulus or annular ligament).
So from where the pain comes?
The lower back has such complex anatomy, pain can arise from any of these structures like nerves, intervertebral disc, muscular, trauma, tumor. It can also be referred from visceral organs.
Why Pain occurs?
Most of the activity which we perform puts lots of pressure on the lower back because it also acts as a central axis of the body at which most of the movement happens.
Pain can be mechanical or chemical in nature. Major mechanical pain is caused by the intervertebral disc because almost all the activities we perform in daily life are flexion-based (forward bending) which puts lots of pressure on it which leads to deformation of its natural structure (herniated disc) and causing compression to the nerve root. The second common reason is bad posture (sitting, lifting objects ). Some of the miscellaneous (chemical) causes are tumor, trauma, or any other pathological reason.
How to manage the pain?
If it's acute (recent)pain I will suggest don't take more than two days rest.
- A short course of over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or acetaminophen can help relieve the pain.
- Strict bed rest is not recommended. However, limit activity to prevent exacerbation of low back pain.
- Passive modalities such as heat, ice, massage, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation can be very beneficial in the acute phase. The application of heat can loosen tight muscles whereas ice is beneficial at the end of the day.
- Focus on your sitting posture. Design your working place more ergonomically
Try to mobilize yourself as early as possible. If still you don’t feel better then consult a doctor or a physiotherapist.
FITNESS IS NOT ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN SOMEONE ELSE……… IT'S ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN YOU USED TO BE
