What is Back Pain?

Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident or other stress on spinal bones and tissues. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Chronic back pain is pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

Currently, researchers are examining the use of different drugs to effectively treat back pain, in particular, chronic pain that has lasted at least 6 months. Other studies are comparing different health care approaches to the management of acute low back pain (standard care versus chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy). These studies are measuring symptom relief, restoration of function, and patient satisfaction.

Back pain and Aging

As a person gets older their bodies suffer the ravages of age. We all see it with those extra lines in our faces or the grey hairs, or hair loss, which we must contend with as the years pass. We all feel it, as we slow down, our step not quite as bouncy as it was once. We tire easier too; those late nights are harder to stay awake through. Our eating, drinking and sleeping habits are affected as well. This is no different when it comes to the spine. It ages just like the rest of our bodies. The only difference is perhaps that we rely on it to give us support and so we must do whatever we can to take extra good care of it.

Over time, and the bad habits we acquire, we do things that may not be in the best interest of our spine. We must correct that. As one passes middle age into our senior years there are more things that can cause back pain and we must try to alleviate this as soon as we can. The spine, as it ages, can develop disc erosion or weakening, or vertebrate dislocation. Too often people accept the aches and pains they suffer as an inevitable part of growing old. They don't go to see their health care provider because they assume that at their age nothing can be done and so a visit to their physician is nothing but a waste of time. They're far from right on this one. No matter the age you are you deserve the opportunity to have the best quality of life possible to you and the best medical care you can find. Therefore if you're suffering from chronic back pain, don't sit there and hurt, see your doctor and get them to send you to a specialist if that is what it takes.

A neurosurgeon will look at a person's back with a different eye. They'll take down an extensive personal history so that they better understand the pain you are suffering from. Following this will be battery of tests that will include an MRI, a CT scan, x-rays and blood work. After careful consideration of all the findings the neurosurgeon will suggest a treatment plan. Depending on what they discover it might be no different that the usual plan of light exercise, anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants and over the counter pain relievers.

On the other hand, if the physician has found evidence of disease in your back and so can give you an explanation on why you are having so much difficulty and pain in your lower back there just might be more that can be done. Back surgery may sound drastic especially as you age. But neurosurgeons will tell you that it is very safe and can be done into a patient's eighties. If it corrects the problem and relieves the pain, which gives the patient a better life, it is something that should be considered.

Written by: Scott Parat