Chronic Low Back Pain – Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

There are three stages of low back pain:

Acute: if it lasts less than six weeks Sub-acute: if it lasts from six to twelve weeks Chronic: if it persists beyond twelve weeks.

A large number of causes for our back pain are rooted in its lower area. The lower back is an axle over which most muscle movements take place.

Symptoms

Low back pain, as the name suggests, occurs not only in the lower back, but it may also occur at the bottom of the ribs and at the top of the legs. It travels towards the buttocks and down to the legs reaching sometime to the feet. It generally occurs without any warning.

It becomes worse when a person bends or even sits in an easy chair. You cannot change sides even in the bed. You feel spasms of pain in your back muscles even if you sneeze or cough.

Causes

A major cause of the low back pain is the strain upon the muscles or other soft structures such as tendons and ligaments connected to the back bones. Sometimes, a disc in our lumber spine, which acts as a cushion between the bones, gets strained and bulges out. It presses against the nerve located close to it causing what we call low back pain.

Prevention

Exercises

The key to preventing the occurrence of low back pain is to stay fit and active by taking low back specific exercises regularly.

Right Posture

o Maintain right posture in whatever position you are, whether you are sitting, standing or working.

o Be careful while lifting heavy objects. It is better to call someone to help you rather than lift it alone.

o Hold your load close to your body.

o Try to bend at your knees rather than at your back. Carry your load such as shopping on both your sides. It is better to use shopping trolley.

Treatment

You can treat your back pain at your level if it is at the initial stage. Take rest after workouts. You may also take simple pain killers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, if needed.

But if your pain has become chronic, you must see your doctor. He may conduct a CT or MRI scan to diagnose the real cause of the problem.