26 Jan What Causes Back Pain?
It’s important to make sure that you address any back pain you may be feeling, rather than just ignoring it and hoping that it goes away by itself. It’s possible that, in so doing, you could actually make the problem a lot worse – and this can lead to many other associated problems.
As the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) explains, low back pain can cause a range of different issues, everything from impaired quality of life and poor mobility to higher risk of social exclusion as a result of being unable to work and social isolation because of disability, as well as reduced income and reliance on sickness benefits (NICE guidance, low back pain).
Low back pain itself has different levels of severity and is perhaps more common than you might think, especially among those between the ages of 40 and 60.
The Health Survey for England 2011 found that back pain accounted for 37 per cent of all chronic pain in men and 44 per cent in women, while treating all types of back pain cost the NHS over 1,000 million each year (Gov publications, health survey for England 2011).
Back pain can improve within a couple of weeks or months. It is important to get early diagnosis and treatment to ensure optimal outcomes.
There are certain medical conditions that can cause back pain, including sciatica (which has to do with the nerve that runs from your lower back to your feet), slipped discs and so on, but it can also be non-specific or mechanical, where there’s no obvious cause or you’re feeling pain around the joints, bones and soft tissue in the spine.
Think about your pain and see if it gets better or worse depending on whether you’re sitting or lying down, or if you’re moving around. Back pain can also have something to do with picking something up badly or something too heavy (always lift from the legs), or perhaps poor posture.
Injuries can also cause back pain, so if you have been training or getting more exercise at the moment, think about if you twinged yourself while training, as this could have something to do with your current discomfort.
In terms of treatment, you can try doing various exercises and stretches, as this can help relieve your symptoms, so perhaps give something like pilates, swimming or walking a go if you’re able to. It’s advisable not to sit or lie down for too long at any one time, as this can make your pain worse.
If you’d like any further advice relating to back pain, get in touch with Camberley osteopath OsteoVision today.