Anyone who has experienced back knows that it affects the quality of life in myriad ways. Back pain is a debilitating condition that cause lost hours of work, missed social functions, and lower quality of life overall.
“Strong, Women, Strong Backs” by Miriam E. Nelson Ph.D., Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, Tufts University; is a common sense book about causes, treatments and prevention of back pain, particularly for women.
Back pain is a complicated issue, with many causes. In order to determine how to best treat back pain, a diagnosis of the cause is important. Causes of the condition include deconditioning, structural problems, medical conditions and physiological stress. Following are the major causes of back pain, according to “Strong Women, Strong Backs”:
Deconditioning
The lower back, known as the lumbar region, bears the brunt of the burden for twisting, lifting and weight bearing. Therefore the lumbar region is the biggest source of pain. Many people, even fit who are considered fit, do not consciously exercise the lumbar muscles. In our modern society, people tend to sit for long periods of time: sitting at their desks, sitting in meetings, sitting at social activities. Many of our activities are geared toward a lot of sitting.
All of this sitting takes it’s toll on the lumbar region. When theses muscles are called upon for an activity they are not accustomed to, the back is not up to the job. The weak lumbar muscles become strained and may cause pain for several weeks. Deconditioning is your control. Pain can be alleviated with dedication to keeping in shape, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, sitting and standing straight and keeping flexible.
Lack of Conditioning: Even fit people, who participate in aerobics and strength training, may not be conditioning their back muscles. When these muscles called into play with an usual activity, they become strained.
Excess Body Weight: Excess pounds cause extra stress on the back muscles. Excess weight, particularly abdominal weight, stresses the back and causes back pain.
Smoking: It is not clear what the association between smoking and back pain it, but it does appear to increase risk. Smokers who experience a back injury also have a poorer prognosis for recovery than non-smokers.
Poor Posture: Chronic poor posture, with a habit of slumping forward, can force the spine out of alignment. The misalignment puts pressure on the nerves, which are pain sensors.
Poor Muscle Flexibility: There have been numerous studies that have associated lack of flexibility to back pain. Lack of flexibility in other areas of the body can affect the back muscles. For example, tight hamstring muscles (back of the legs), have a strong association with back pain.
Structural
Back pain caused by deconditioning can be controlled. Structural causes are things that happen to you that cause pain. While the conditions cannot be modified, there are things you can do to modify the pain.
Degenerative discs: Discs flatten with age, leaving less cushion between the vertebrate.
Scoliosis: curvature of the spine, with one side of the back being higher than the other. Condition may be genetic and develops as a child grows.
Compression fractures due to osteoporosis: Crush fracture, where the vertebrate flattens, caused by degenerative disease.
Trauma of sports injury: Fracture of the vertebrate caused by accident or injury.
Herniated disc: also called a slipped disc, the vertebrate ruptures and leaks out jellylike substance to surrounding tissues, irritating nerves and causing pain.
Arthritis: Bone spurs and inflammation cause pain.
Paget’s disease: Rare condition causing excess bone.
Spinal Stenosis: Spinal narrowing occurs when ligaments thicken at the spinal column. There can be numbness and tingling in the legs, sometimes along with constipation and urinary incontinence.
Medical conditions:
Non structural medical conditions can also cause back pain. Treating the underlying condition may alleviate the pain. Need medical treatment.
Infections: Urinary tract infections or bone infections can cause “referred” pain.
Cancer: Cancers, even in other organs, can cause pain in the back.
Pelvic Conditions: conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease cause pain.
Menstruation: causes cramping and pain.
Kidney Stones: Kidneys are located in the lower back. When kidneys are compromised, they can cause back pain.
Psychological:
Stress, depression and lack of sleep lead to muscle tension, which causes back pain. Psychological intervention may help. Exercise also seems to alleviate pain caused by stress and depression.
Back pain has many causes. Although some causes are more easily treated than others, strengthening and conditioning helps minimize the pain for all types of pain. Strong, flexible muscles can help to ‘work around’ the weakened bones.
The book, “Strong Women, Strong Backs” has a recommended exercise program intended to condition the back and minimize back pain.
Resources:
Strong Women, Strong Backs, Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.
