What is Back Pain & How Does it Affect Your Life?

Aside from poor posture or prolonged sitting or standing. Causes to your lower back pain can be some problems with the spine or inflammatory conditions.

• Sprain: An injury to the ligaments that support the spine. You can injure ligaments by twisting or lifting something heavy or improperly.
• Strain: An injury to a muscle or tendon. Your back could be strained by sneezing, coughing, twisting or bending over.
• Degenerative disc disease: The discs between the vertebrae of the spine might break down because of aging.
• Herniated or ruptured discs: When your discs compress and irritate all the nearby nerves. Pain develops at the lumbar level.
• Spondylolisthesis: This happens when a vertebra in the spine goes out of place.
• Spinal stenosis: When the spinal column narrows which puts extra pressure on the spinal cord and nerves.
• Scoliosis or other ingrained changes to the spine.

Furthermore, if you have inflammatory disorders or some medical conditions, this may cause lower back pain. Lower back pain treatment varies depending on the cause behind your back discomfort and the symptoms you’re suffering from; however, there are some treatments or steps to cure back pain and reduce your chance of developing long-lasting back pain.

You might be asking yourself “Does Physiotherapy Work For Back Pain?” and actually, most people suffering with back pain reported that it really does work. Physiotherapy exercise is one of the first and most important treatments you should try under the guidance of your physio or back pain doctor.

However, Physiotherapy exercises have to be tailored to your specific symptoms and condition. How many physiotherapy sessions for back pain? Your physician will decide on the number of sessions, design your back pain therapy plan and recommend the best exercises that should work for you.

Low back pain physical therapy may include:

• Diagnosis & pain tolerance testing
• Retraining your posture
• Stretching and flexibility
• Aerobic exercises
• Core strengthening exercises
• Back pain relief exercises

Other tests or imaging scans may be required if:

• You have an injury that resulted in back pain
• You’ve been suffering for long as there might be an underlying cause for your pain

Proper posture and good movements are ideal for your muscles, bones and balance and may be effective in minimizing back pain. Since it’s often hard to avoid prolonged sitting or standing because of your work routine, there are simple tips you can still do to reduce your back pain. To tend to your body properly:

• Stand smart. Maintain a neutral pelvic position. In case of prolonged standing, find a place to sit for a little while as prolonged standing is not really good for you. Remember to stand with equal weights shared between both feet as best as possible. Try to avoid leaning to one side as it results in compression on one side which is not favorable.
• Sit smart. If possible, select your seat wisely. Choose one with good lower back support and armrests. In addition to that, you can maintain your back’s normal curve by placing a pillow behind your back. Keep knees and hips on the same level and change your position at least every half an hour. The truth is there is no perfect way to sit, so just keep moving from time to time.
• Lift smart. Try not to lift heavy items, and if you have to, let your legs do the work. Hold the load close to your body. Keep your back straight and use your knees for bending. That’s not to say you can’t use your back to lift at all. Sometimes, a little controlled weight on your back while lifting will keep your muscles alive.

Most people think that exercise might make acute back pain worse. But actually, staying active will help you recover faster from back pain. If you get too much rest, this can weaken your muscles and stiffen your joints, leading to a greater risk of long-term problems.

Furthermore, exercise supports the muscles around your spine and keeps your back strong and mobile. It’s also worth mentioning that regular exercise can release chemicals called endorphins, which will help switch your good mood.

Can’t decide what the best exercise for you is? Then you better start with an exercise that you enjoy. And you can also choose simple exercises like walking, swimming and yoga. If you are experiencing severe pain that is unbearable when you exercise, you should immediately stop and seek advice from your lower back pain doctor.

When applied to the lower back, massage therapy can relieve the muscle spasms and increase the blood flow, which provides smooth healing and back pain relief. In the scenario where your back pain is caused by a strain, the source of your pain could then be detected, targeted and treated. Massage techniques involve a combination of hands-on movements, such as kneading, stretching, or compressing that range from light to deep pressure. For the best results, physiotherapy massage is typically combined with a chiropractic adjustment to ease your pain and improve your quality of life. Furthermore, the effects of massage therapy vary from physical to psychological, and may result in the following changes:

• Ease stiffness in your back muscles and tendons
• Enhance tissue elasticity and increase your joints’ range of motion
• Decrease inflammation in the soft tissues
• Lower the chance of scar tissue formation
• Enhance blood flow in your back muscles, which in turn promotes removal of toxins and pain relief
• Increase the levels of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. Those hormones are responsible for supporting your pain relief, regulating your sleep and enhancing your mood.