Low Back Pain

What is Low Back Pain?

Low back pain by definition is pain at the back, in the region between the last rib and the gluteal folds with or without distal radiation to the lower extremity.

How does it come about?

Low back pain is neither a specific disease nor a diagnostic entity, rather it is a symptomatic manifestation of actual or potential tissue damage of varying degree of severity. The actual or potential damage that results in low back pain could be mechanical (musculoskeletal strains, nerve root compression, herniated disc, and degenerative disc and joints) or non-mechanical (inflammatory conditions, infections or tumors) in origin. In addition to these physical causes, referred pain in disorders of internal organs (kidney stones and infection) can also present as low back pain.

What should I do if I have low back pain?

Most low back pain resolve spontaneously as they are as a result of muscle spasms following a night of poor sleep posture or strenuous physical activities. In most cases, all you need to do is massage your back with analgesic creams and you are good to go. But when low back pain persists or keeps coming back, you may have to see your doctor to examine you and probably carry out some tests to identify the possible cause or causes. As the saying rightly goes: the earlier the better.

Must I have Surgery for my low back pain?

No. Surgery is usually the last resort in cases of severe disc hernia or severe narrowing of the spinal canal causing severe compression of the nerves. Apart from those caused by tumors, most cases of low back pain can be treated with conservation treatments and/or RIT which can repair both the mechanical and some of  the non-mechanical causes of low back pain.

What are the predisposing factors of low back pain?

Sedentary life style

Obesity

Poor sleep posture

Lifting heavy objects

Pregnancy

Trauma

Prevalence of Low back pain

About 80% of the adult population will complain of low back pain at one point in their life time.Though most of these cases will resolve, over 28% will end up requiring medical interventions.

Prevention

Get active.

Lose weight

Adequate water intake

Avoid excessive strain on your low back

Good siting posture. No slouching

The following exercises can help you get better

 

When you require treatment, ask for RIT

We will let you know why RIT is the best form of treatment for low back pains in our future publications.