What is back pain

Back pain is a pain below the cervical spine. Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints and does not usually reflect any underlying disease. Back pain is pain felt in the human back that may come from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Back pain is also known as a also known as "dorsopathy".The pain may be constant or intermittent. There are different types of back pain -

1) Neuropathic pain -pain is caused by damage to nerve tissue. It is often felt as a burning or stabbing pain.
2) Nociceptive pain - caused by an injury or disease outside the nervous system.
3) Chronic back pain - is commonly described as deep, aching, dull or burning pain in one area of the back or traveling down the legs.
4) Acute back pain - is commonly described as a very sharp pain or a dull ache, usually felt deep in the lowerpart of the back.

Causes of Back Pain

There are several causes of back pain. Common causes are given below -1) Mechanical causes -lumbar disc disorders.
2) Degenerative conditions -degenerative disc disease.
3) Inflammatory conditions - ankylosing spondylitis.
4) Back Pain

Signs and Symptoms of Back Pain

Symptoms of back pain depend upon the type and causes of back pain. Symptoms of back sprain generally include Muscle spasms, cramping, and stiffness, pain, mostly in the back and buttocks. Leg pain, Nerve-related problems are the symptoms of nerve-root pressure. Symptoms of arthritis of the spine generally include pain and stiffness that are worse in the back and hip region. Other symptoms that may occur with low back pain includes -
1) Drug or alcohol abuse
2) Depressions
3) Bladder or bowel problems.
4) Diabetes
5) chemotherapy for cancer treatment
6) HIV (AIDS)
7) Unexplained weight loss.
8) Use of steroids over a long period of time.

Treatment of Back Pain

The main goal of the treatment is to reduce the back pain .People with severe back pain sometimes have reduced sitting- and walking ability and need to use a wheel bench for moving around. The treatment of back pain may depend upon the condition or type of the back pain .Not all treatment works for all treatment. There are two method of treatment for back pain -

1) Surgical Treatment
2) Non Surgical Treatment

In very few cases (1% to 10%), surgical treatment is required. Surgical treatment includes artificial disc replacement, Discectomy/microdiscectomy, Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty, Spinal cord stimulation, Spinal fusion. On Surgical treatment includes Ice and heat application, Injections, Medications (muscle relaxants, on-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs/NSAIAs), paracetamol (acetaminophen)), Physical therapy and exercise, Manipulation, as provided by a physical therapist, osteopathic physician, or a chiropractic physician.

Prevention of Back Pain

  The type and severity of the back pain will depend on the condition that's causing the
pain. However, various causes of back pain may produce similar symptoms.