Laboratory MedNews

Low Back Pain
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Home remedies for low back pain are effective if you know how to use them properly. Low back problems are one of the most common complaints experienced during adult life. The term “low back pain” is a very general term that represents a wide range of disease categories that may all manifest as pain on the lumbar area. Among the various conditions related to low back pain are the following: mechanical strains to the low back, herniated disks, fractures, arthritis, kidney infections, or even pregnancy.

The frequency of low back pain among adults brings a great deal of attention to this condition, especially in the field of rehabilitation medicine. Aside from its frequency, its impact on an individual’s functional activity poses a great deal of concern. It is said to be the most common cause why workers lose productive time at work.

Furthermore, studies have shown that the costs of treatment for low back pain may reach up to billions of dollars each year. Owing to these high costs of treatment, and also because this condition warrants immediate relief from pain and discomfort, knowledge regarding home remedies for low back pain may be very useful.

Among the home remedies for low back pain are the following:

* Application of superficial heat over the lumbar area

* Massage and therapeutic exercises that are focused on strengthening & stretching of key muscles that contribute to stability of the spine, especially on the lumbar area.The therapeutic benefits of these back pain remedies will be discussed further.

* Application of superficial heat is a very convenient home remedy for back pain. It can be done by using hot packs or hot water bottles applied over the painful area for 20 minutes. This can relieve the patient because of the thermal effects of heat causing analgesia, general relaxation and decreased muscle spasms.

* Another notable thermal effect of heat application over a localized area is vasodilation of blood vessels, which causes an increased blood flow to that particular area. Where blood flow increases, there would be more oxygen & nutrient supply to the area.

* Massage may be the most popular among the suggested home remedies for low back pain. It is the manual manipulation of superficial & deep muscles, done in a variety of strokes & techniques. During a session of massage, palpation of muscles spasms may be done to detect particular trigger points in the low back area. Just like heat, massage also causes, increased blood flow to the area, decreased muscle spasms & analgesia.

* Of all the given home remedies for low back pain, the therapeutic exercises are the interventions that provide long term effects. When muscles of the lumbar area are tight, they are in a state of increased tension, resulting to low back pain.

* stretching exercises of these muscles are advised to decrease their state of tightness. Strengthening exercises of the abdominal muscles are also advised because the abdominal muscles act as a corset that provides stability to the low back.

Among the popular strengthening exercises for the abdominals are curl ups, sit-ups or straight leg raising. It is important to note that of all home remedies for low back pain, the therapeutic exercises require active participation of the individual. Thus, compliance of the individual to do the exercises regularly is important to have its long-term benefits.

All of the home remedies for low back pain suggested above can provide both short term & long term relief for back pain. These techniques have the advantage of convenience and accessibility because they do not require purchase of expensive equipments and modalities. However, if in any case that these home remedies for low back pain are tried but offers no pain relief, it is suggested that the individual seeks further evaluation procedures to detect if there is other pathology that causes low back pain.

By:  Arvie C.Vitente, MPH, PTRP

Are you having trouble in your low back or loin area? Is it painful every time you move to do your daily chores? LBP or low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal pain syndromes experienced by most people. Maybe most of you are wondering what are the different causes and necessary treatments for this pain syndrome. It is very important for one to be aware of these causes of LBP for them to know the essential things to do to prevent it from occurring.

Causes of LBP

The most common cause of LBP is strain of the muscles or sprain of the soft tissues or ligaments of the low back area. This strain or sprain is due to improper positioning of the spine. This is very common for example among typists because of the reason that the chair they are using does not appropriately support the lumbar area of the spine or better known as the low back area. This is the reason why the companies must consider purchasing ergonomically designed chairs to prevent strains and sprains among their workers. Another common cause of LBP is herniated nucleus pulposus or commonly known as slipped disc. Slipped disc involves the structure located in between the bones of the spinal column. This structure is known as the intervertebral (IV) disc. The IV disc is composed of an outer cartilage and an inner liquid component. If the liquid component of the IV disc squirts out from the damaged outer cartilage, this will impinge the spinal nerves or in severe case, it could also affect the spinal cord. This will lead to loss of skin sensation and muscle weakness on the area supplied by the affected spinal nerve or spinal cord, and would also cause severe pain in the low back area. The most common cause of slipped disc is improper lifting and wrong positioning of the joints at the back. Other common causes are fracture of the bones of the spinal column caused by weakening of the bones brought by osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis which is considered as the most common type of arthritis. This could also be caused by problems in the kidneys; this is the reason why doctors are careful in diagnosing the cause of LBP.

Treatment of LBP

Prevention is better than cure that is why physical therapists and doctors would always advise their patients with LBP to do exercises at the low back muscles to improve the flexibility and strength. There are conservative treatments for LBP and these include physical therapy, wearing of back support, Alexander technique, and massage therapy among others.  If conservative treatment is not effective, surgery will be indicated if there are progressive neurological symptoms which include weakness and incontinence.

Remember that LBP would limit someone to function well in their job. It affects the productivity and overall performance of a worker. This is an eye-opener not only to the workers but to the employers as well. The cost of preventing it is a lot smaller than the loss that it could give to the company. Keep in mind that a healthy back means a healthy body!

By:  Amapola Imbag Mallari  MPH, PTRP

Low back pain is a generalized complaint of discomfort over the lumbar area. This reflects an array of injuries over the apophyseal joints, IV discs and the surrounding contractile (muscles and ligaments) and non-contractile (spinal cord, nerves and vascular structures) soft tissues. Nevertheless, worry not because this costly and incapacitating condition is preventable and treatable by laboratory exercises for the back.

Epidemiology

About 50% to 80% of adults will have low back pain at some time in their lives. This is also the leading cause of disability in people younger than 45 years of age and the third leading cause of disability in those older than 45 years old. Current studies suggest a lifetime rate of low back pain of about 60% to 90% and an annual rate of about 5%. This condition is equal in men and women but is greater in incidence in women secondary to osteoporosis.

Risk Factors

The following are the risk factors for low back pain:

• Occupational Factors. Force, repetition, posture and stress can contribute to low back pain. Exerting too much force on your back can cause injury as overly repetitious tasks can lead to muscle fatigue. In addition, spending too much time in a single posture can make you experience occasional aches and pains at the back.
• Patient Related Factors: Age, sex, spinal mobility, physical fitness, smoking, anthropometric measurements and psychosocial factors are considered as risks for developing this condition.

Etiology

There are many etiological factors contributing to low back pain. These are:

• Degenerative diseases of the joint disks
• Inflammatory (non-infectious) diseases like Ankylosing Spondylitis (bamboo spine as seen laboratory findings)
• Infectious conditions like osteomyelitis or abscesses inside the spine
• Metabolic bone diseases including osteoporosis
• Neoplastic cases when a metastatic tumor has invade the spine
• Traumatic conditions like vertebral fractures
• Congenital or developmental cases like scoliosis
• Musculoskeletal etiology like muscle strains
• Vascular cases such as hardening of the large arteries (atherosclerosis) running in front of the spine.
• Psychogenic and post-operative and multiple operations on the back

Laboratory Findings

Clinical suspicion of low back pain requires immediate evaluation and prompt therapy. In the absence of historical or physical examination findings, laboratory or plain radiograph findings often are unrevealing. The laboratory results, however, are just meant to supplement such findings as these are often incidental, most especially with acute types of back pains.

Treatment

As confirmed by history, evaluation and laboratory results, treatment of low back pain begins with the following:

ü  Modification of activities of daily living (ADLs) by allowing the patient to adjust lifestyle and work demands;

ü  Bed rest for not more than three days (as longer bed rest has not been proven to be more beneficial);

ü  Pharmacological treatments such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen and narcotic analgesics; and

ü  Physical therapy measures like ice massage and local heat, pelvic traction, transcutaneous electraical nerve stimulation and back flexibility exercises such as the McKenzie and William’s back protocols.

Once low back pain has been treated, it will have an impact on the quality of life of an individual. This article is used to educate patients on the perils of this disabling disease and how the health care providers and family members can be encouraged to guide patients to a wide range of treatments.