Common Causes of Back Pain & The Best Ways to Resolve Them
Back pain can be difficult to live with, making everyday tasks hard or
impossible to manage. It can make movement more difficult and can truly
impact your quality of life, relationships and ability to work. It is vital to know how to resolve your back pain in order to get back to living a healthy and happy life. It can help to know the root cause of your back pain before any treatment should be considered. The quickest way to do this is to have a consultation with a chiropractor, physiotherapist or osteopath who are all trained as primary healthcare physicians and specialise in understanding the root cause of your back pain. They will also be able to assess your symptoms and give you a diagnosis.
If you have any red flags such as changes to bowel or bladder habits, trouble starting or stopping going to the toilet, or changes to the sensation when wiping then this is a medical emergency, and it’s best to go straight to Accident and Emergency for an MRI. This is known as cauda equina [horse’s tail) Although this condition is rare it’s vital to understand the signs to
look out for.
To get some relief it is also worth visiting your GP, so they can assess your symptoms and provide pain management medication, exercise or write you a letter for altered duties at work. Sometimes, however, it is not immediately obvious what the cause of back pain is. Here we’ll look at some
of the most common causes and what you can do about them.
SPORTS INJURY
Sports injuries are a very common cause of back pain, and you should always get checked out by a medical professional after any sporting injury occurs. Often, injuries will resolve themselves after a period of rest followed by gentle exercises until you reach your peak fitness levels again.
In some cases, injuries can linger, so you may need to see a physiotherapist, chiropractor or other health professional to help you recover. You can usually manage the pain of sports injuries using over-the-counter medication and relaxation techniques.
SCIATICA
Sciatica is the medical term for back pain caused by a pinched or trapped sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet. Sciatica can be managed using non-invasive methods like specific painkillers, exercises or stretches your doctor will prescribe you. You may also need to see a physiotherapist or chiropractor to resolve this kind of back pain fully. If looking for a quality professional to help with sciatica, always ensure they are experienced with the condition, have lots of 5 star reviews, and be able to provide self help guides of what you can do to help yourself, like the experts at Life Balance Chiropractic Centre.
SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
Our sleep environment is another common cause of back pain. Bedding that is not adequately supportive or that is old, damaged or worn can result in aches and pains throughout the body. If you suspect your back pain is the result of your sleep environment, you may also find yourself feeling tired even just after you’ve woken up. Consider investing in new pillows and a mattress to help resolve your back pain. Ideally, you should test out a mattress and pillows in person to ensure it is a
good fit for you. Replacing your pillows and mattress regularly is crucial to prevent back pain. This should be done every two years for pillows and every seven years for your mattress.
SLIP. TRIP OR FALL
Slips, trips and falls are another common cause of back pain. Again, it is vital that you get checked out by a chiropractor, physiotherapist, or osteopath to ensure that no serious injury has occurred. Back pain from a slip trip or fall may cause a muscle spasm, strain or pulled muscle as a result of a vertebrea (joint] in the spine not moving well or that has lost motion. Sometimes, these will resolve on their own, but if these are episodic and getting more frequent or intense it’s best to talk with the spinal professionals as it may require further treatment from your doctor or chiropractic, physiotherapist or osteopath to completely go away. You can also see your GP to try and address the immediate symptoms and pain.
