Information On Chronic Back Pain

Posted by Unknown on 12:02 AM with No comments
By Kimberly Rogers


Back pain is a problem that affects more than 80 percent of all adults at some point in their lifetimes. In Greenbelt, most missed work days are as a result of some form of discomfort in the back. Research has determined that both men and women are affected equally by back pain. The pains range in intensity from dull constant aches to sudden, sharp sensations that render sufferers incapacitated. For the sake of this article, the abbreviation CBP will be used for chronic back pain.

Pain is classified as CBP if it persists for over three months even after receiving treatment for the underlying cause such as injury or medical condition. Over twenty percent of all acute back pain cases end up developing into CBP with persisting symptoms. CBP can be alleviated through surgical and medical means, but not in all cases because the problem may persist even after that.

In most cases, CBP occurs in the lower part of the back in the five vertebrae within the lumbar region. The lumbar region is the part that supports much of the weight exerted by the upper body. Intervertebral discs between the vertebrae help to absorb shock and minimize friction during movement. The vertebrae is held in position by ligaments. In total, the spinal cord has 31 pairs of nerves that transmit signals between the body and brain.

The main causes of this condition usually have a mechanical element. For example, aging causes natural wear and tear to the spine, which becomes progressively painful. Additional causes for the condition include intervertebral degeneration, radiculopathy, sprains and strains, traumatic injury, skeletal irregularities, sciatica, and herniated or ruptured discs.

In most people, the cause of this problem is sprains and strains. When ligaments of the vertebrae are overstretched, sprains result. Conversely, strains come from tearing of muscles and/or tendons. There are many causes for both strains and sprains including lifting heavy objects and overstretching. The same causes may also cause spasms, which are equally painful.

A condition called radiculopathy results from injury, inflammation, and/or compression of spinal nerve roots. As a result of the pressure exerted, numbness, tingling sensation, or pains are caused and radiated to all other body parts the nerve serves. This pressure comes from ruptured discs or spinal stenosis.

Ligaments, muscles, and tendons in the back region may be injured by such events as car accidents, falls, and sports. Traumatic injury may also compress the spine excessively resulting into the rupture of intervertebral disc. Herniated discs in turn exert pressure onto nerve roots and cause pains. Skeletal irregularities include scoliosis, lordosis, and other congenital anomalies. Scoliosis is a curvature within the spine that does not cause a problem until one attains middle age.

There is also a number of serious underlying medical conditions that may cause CPB even though this is not very common. The conditions include infections, tumors, abdominal aortic aneurysms, kidney stones, and cauda equine syndrome. People with osteoporosis, endometriosis, inflammatory diseases of the joints, and fibromyalgia are also predisposed to CBP.




About the Author: