Back pain affects 8 out of 10 people – “Eighty percent of us will experience back problems at some point in our lives“, says chief physiotherapist Dr Priyanka Tyagi from ReLiva Physiotherapy & Rehab. Across the globe low back pain causes more disability than any other condition,1,2 causing hindrance in everyday life. We see patients who come to ReLiva Physiotherapy for back pain treatment, often report symptoms like pain in the upper back, lower back pain, left side back pain, right side back pain and back bone pain among others. Most of these backaches are muscular pain. In other cases, the back pain is due to a more specific spine problem like slipped disc, prolapsed disc, bulging disc or age-related disc degeneration – spondylosis and spondylitis. Whichever be the case, the line of treatment for back problem will depend upon its underlying cause.
“I’ve been suffering from back pain since two and half years, other doctors prescribed painkillers and I was in and out of pain ever since. Recently I stumbled upon ReLiva Physiotherapy and my back pain days got over,”(sic) says Benny Jacob. The treating physiotherapist identified the exact cause of her back pain after a detailed assessment and planned her back pain treatment accordingly. Benny cheerfully adds, “My physiotherapist recommended exercises and therapy and her treatment worked wonders. As I write this, I am healed.”
With experience of thousands of such recoveries, ReLiva physiotherapists answer frequently asked questions related to back pain treatment, causes, symptoms and home remedy in this post.
About back and back pain
Our backs are a carefully engineered network of bones, tendons, ligaments, and nerves that help balance and bear the weight of our bodies and the loads we carry. Any minor damage or imbalance to this delicate system can stress muscles and joints, causing pain and injury. A lifetime of poor posture, poor lifting, bending and reaching, and twisting activities can gradually weaken your back’s supportive structures as well as cause pain and injury.
Back pain: Who all are affected?
Previously low back pain was considered as degenerative spine disease as the incidence was higher in people with age group greater than 40 yrs. Nowadays the disease profile has changed. Because of long working hours spent in sitting in front of laptop or in commuting to workplace, excessive use of gadgets, poor posture, inactive lifestyle contributes to higher incidence of back pain among younger population.
Risk Factors that lead to Back Pain include the following:
- Being overweight. Your back has to support too much weight when you’re carrying extra pounds.
- Poor muscle tone. If your muscles are not well toned, they can’t meet the challenge when you ask something extra of them.
- Poor posture. Poor posture creates bodily stress, which can result in pain.
- Improper lifting. Heavy lifting, carrying children, as well as occupational lifting can cause injury.
- Desk /computer jobs. Our bodies don’t thrive sitting for long periods of time hunched over keyboards or other workspaces.
- Unhappiness. Researchers3 have found that general dissatisfaction with our social and economic situations can double or triple the risk of low back pain.
With all these risk factors, it is no wonder so many of us suffer from back pain. But it’s not a part of life you have to passively accept.
Read: Low Back Pain, You’re not the only one
What should I do to remedy back pain?
Following self-care instructions at home can go a long way to remedy back pain. Infact proper care in everyday life can help its prevention too.
Do’s for managing Back Pain at home
- Do make sure you put equal weight on both the feet, while standing.
- Do change your posture every 30 min.
- Do squat down from the knees, while lifting any weight from the floor.
- Do make sure your back is well supported on the chair, when sitting for long.
- Do take frequent breaks if you are driving long distance.
- Do carry equal weight in your hand while shopping for grocery.
- Do maintain healthy lifestyle and ideal body weight in order to reduce excessive stress on your musculoskeletal system. Aerobic exercises like walking, swimming is a safe way to exercise to maintain active lifestyle.
- Do warm up before performing any aerobic activity.
- Do stretch your muscles frequently if your work demands maintaining static posture for long time.
Read: What’s causing your back pain? Is it poor posture
Don’ts for managing Back Pain at home
- Don’t practice exercises randomly just because you saw someone do it. Get it approved by your Physiotherapist before you start specific back exercises, when you already have back pain.
- Don’t jerk when you are lifting anything heavy/weight.
- Don’t carry your bag / back pack on one shoulder.
- Don’t rest too much, unless advised by your doctor.
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How much rest should I take if I have back pain?
Resting for 2 days to 2 weeks is usually enough depending on the severity of symptoms is sufficient. However, too much rest causes muscles to lose its strength.
Research4 proves that returning to movement and work is better for recovery and preventing recurrence than bed rest. Immobility and bed rest for more than two days have never been shown to be beneficial.
Is it good to walk when you have back pain?
As ReLiva physiotherapists say in post for Exercises for Back Pain, walking is a very effective weight-bearing exercise known to be working the whole body and not just the back. Several research studies5 suggest that walking is the best exercise for back pain (one of the most common chronic musculoskeletal pain.)
However, if walking gives you shooting leg pain or numbness, stop and see a doctor.
Read: Fitness Essentials : Walking
Is it OK to exercise with back pain?
It may be painful to bend and lift with back pain, but developing the mobility and strength to bend and lift is important6. Many types of exercise, including weight training, can bring great benefits. What is important is to go through a properly structured exercise programme that charts out a gradual progression of exercises based on your specific condition. At ReLiva, your physiotherapist will do a thorough evaluation of your condition using a series of movement-based tests and plan your exercise regime appropriately. In fact, Exercise therapy is included in all guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain.
Contact us at +91 9920991584 or ask for call back and we will connect you with a physiotherapist near you and get you started on the path to recovery.
What are the treatment options for back pain?
You could consider the following options for your back pain:
- Rest: brief, but only as first line of treatment
- Medications: As prescribed your doctor, to bring down inflammation and ease acute pain immediately
- Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy includes electrotherapy and exercise therapy to relieve pain and r-estrengthen the affected muscles gradually back to function.
- Surgery: Surgery may be recommended as a non-conservative treatment of certain acute back conditions.
It is interesting to note that according to most recent studies7, Exercise therapy is included in all guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain. Physiotherapists are experts in muscle and movement and re trained to help you with systematic exercise program and dosage to help relieve pain, restore movement and lost function. They will also give you easy dos and don’ts to prevent relieve back pain at home.
What are the types of back pain?
Your back pain could be classified into two types depending upon how long you have had it.
1. Acute Back Pain
This pain lasts for 0 to 3 months. Usually caused due to recent trauma in the form of direct injury to the back from an accident causing fractures, dislocation OR due to repetitive stress to the lower back like repeated bending, twisting activities, lifting heavy weights. It also can be experienced because of maintaining a static posture for a long time. For example, sitting/standing for long time. The nature ofpain can be sudden, sharp shooting, stabbing or dull aching pain which may be localised to the back or travel to one or both lower extremities.
2. Chronic Back Pain
The pain that typically lasts even after the healing time of the tissue is over, is known as chronic pain. it is usually due to the repetitive stress injury to the muscles, ligaments and discs mostly because of adapting poor posture.
Will I get back pain even if I am exercising regularly?
Regular exercises reduce your chances of getting lower back pain as exercise strengthens your muscles, however factors like aging, injuries, poor postural habits, frequent sitting can cause back pain.
Which is better for back pain: Heat or cold therapy?
Ice therapy is better in acute injuries and when the pain is more superficial. Low back pain is usually chronic and the structures affected are deep seated. Studies show that moist heat proved more effective in treatment of back pain.
Do I need surgery for my bad back?
No, not usually. More times than not, your back pain can be treated without going under the knife. However, some conditions, like a herniated disk, may benefit
from surgery. Even still, herniated disks may heal on their own. Bottom line—you should carefully consider your options, and then consider them again, before thinking about surgery.
What about alternative therapy for back pain?
Non-traditional therapy is becoming more widely accepted these days. It wasn’t long ago that chiropractic treatment was viewed as an “alternative” therapy. Now these specialists are a common part of the back care landscape. Other alternative therapies have received praise from sufferers, too. The choice is up to you.
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Scholarly References:
1] The global burden of low back pain: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study Damian Hoy, Lyn March, Peter Brooks, Fiona Blyth, Anthony Woolf, Christopher Bain,7, Gail Williams, Emma Smith, Theo Vos, Jan Barendregt, Chris Murray, Roy Burstein, Rachelle Buchbinder. BMJ: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Volume 73, Issue 6
2] The Lancet Series on low back pain
3] The Epidemiology of low back pain. Hoy D1, Brooks P, Blyth F, Buchbinder R.; Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010 Dec;24(6):769-81. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2010.10.002
4] Waddell, G., 1993. Simple low back pain: rest or active exercise? Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 52(5), p.317
5] O’Connor, S. R., Tully, M. A., Ryan, B., Bleakley, C. M., Baxter, G. D., Bradley, J. M. McDonough, S. M. (2015). Walking exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain: Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 96(4), 724–734.e3
6] Balagu, F. et al., 2012. Non-specific low back pain. The Lancet, 379(9814)
7] Marienkevan Middelkoop, Sidney M.Rubinstein, Arianne P.Verhagen, Raymond W.Ostelo, Bart W.Koes, Maurits W.van Tulder. Exercise therapy for chronic nonspecific low-back pain. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, Volume 24, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 193-204
