Exercise and movement may be the very best medicine for back pain.
You could also be considering surgery or other interventions to treat your back pain. But less can actually be more for this common problem, and in lots of cases the very best medicine is sweet old-fashioned movement and exercise.
The mystery of back pain
According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain is one of the crucial common medical problems within the United States. As far as diseases go, it's also slightly weird.
Adding to the mystery of back pain is the incontrovertible fact that people report back pain more often of their 40s and 50s than they do as they age. But back degeneration normally increases over time, so logically, people must have more pain — not less — as they age.
In addition, not less than 80 percent of adults report an episode of back pain. The remaining 20 percent never experience back pain. But it will not be because their spine is normal. Imaging tests on pain-free people show as much degeneration of their lower spine as anyone else, says Dr. Rainwell. The query is, why don't these changes seen on imaging cause them pain?
Dr. Rainwell says that the weirdness of back pain is because of the incontrovertible fact that the neurological healing process — not the physical — is at work. As the speculation goes, when an issue arises and triggers pain, it's your nervous system that really adapts to the pain, and that's why the pain goes away, says Dr. Rainwell. Exercise and movement will help your nervous system make this adjustment more quickly.
Understanding Back Pain
Degeneration in your spine is a natural a part of aging. “A bulging disc is, in some ways, no different than a wrinkle next to your eye,” says Dr. Renville.
Contrary to what many individuals imagine, back pain rarely occurs when lifting heavy objects or doing vigorous activity. “In cases of new-onset disc herniation or sciatica, only 5% were doing anything that would be considered heavy physical exertion, such as lifting an air conditioner,” says Dr. Rainwell. Those things are rare. Most individuals are doing easy things, like leaning over to spit within the sink while brushing their teeth. “I usually hear things like, 'I was just reaching for a pencil,' or 'I sneezed,'” he says.
Back pain is commonly the results of inevitable tissue failure because of age-related deterioration. “There is no evidence that being careful will slow down the process of disc degeneration,” says Dr. Renville. However, being careful won't stop other signs of aging, similar to wrinkles or gray hair.
Genetics of back pain
Your experiences with back pain can have quite a bit to do along with your individual genetic makeup. “Symptoms associated with back pain are highly variable,” says Dr. Rainwell. “The pain can last anywhere from one day to three months.”
And just as some individuals are more liable to severe pain — which may be the case in individuals with conditions like fibromyalgia — some individuals are at the alternative end of the spectrum and fewer liable to pain.
Research has revealed that back pain tends to run in families to a greater or lesser extent. For example, an identical twins often have similar histories of back pain, says Dr. Rainwell. This is the case even when their lives and experiences are completely different—for instance, if one twin has a desk job and the opposite toils in construction. “These things are likely highly genetic,” says Dr. Renville.
Strategies to Help Back PainThe National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke recommends several strategies to assist reduce back pain when it flares up:
|
Changing attitudes about back pain
While back pain could also be unavoidable for many individuals, changing attitudes concerning the problem could make it worse. In the past, people took back pain too quickly and typically didn’t seek medical help. “It's really only been in the last 30 years that more and more people are seeking health care for back pain,” says Dr. Rainwell. But it has not reduced the prevalence of pain or disability. In fact, disability from back pain has increased over time.
In 1990, a study ranked back pain because the sixth most burdensome condition within the United States. In 2010, it ranked third behind only heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in response to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Where back pain was once considered a hindrance to work, today back pain stops many individuals of their tracks. “People are stuck because they've been told to be careful and stop moving,” says Dr. Renville. “It goes against everything that was taught for decades.”
Many doctors are encouraging a return to the past in relation to managing back pain, with less emphasis on intervention and more on encouraging movement.
Treatment of back pain
Movement appears to be a trigger for normalizing pain responses within the nervous system. Dr. Rainwell says animal studies with spinal cord injuries show less resolution of pain in those forced to exercise.
“It's probably the result of a survival mechanism,” he says. “If an animal in the forest does not move, it is eaten or starves to death.” Movement also seems to assist people. “People who move — back to the gym, back to cleaning the house — do the best,” says Dr. Rainwell.
According to the NINDS, surgery could also be essential for some back problems, similar to conditions which might be causing progressive nerve damage or that involve structural changes that must be corrected. “But in many cases it's less justified,” says Dr. Rainwell.
So, if you happen to're experiencing back pain that's brought on by a traditional sprain, the message is that normally you don't have to put your life on hold and wait for it to heal. Move your body as an alternative.
Physical therapists can play a job in helping you steadily and safely increase your activity level, desensitizing your nervous system's response, so you possibly can return to your normal every day activities. can
Photo: © TomekD76/Getty Images