Saturday, July 16, 2016

Causes Of Chronic Back Pain

By Kimberly Rogers


Over eighty percent of all adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. In Greenbelt, discomfort in the back is the major cause of missed work days. Both women and men are equally affected by this problem according to research findings. The severity of the pain varies from dull persistent discomfort to sudden, sharp feeling of pain that is capable of incapacitating the patient. In this article, chronic back pain will be abbreviated as CBP.

CBP is the pain that one feels for a period of 12 weeks or more even after treatment of underlying injury or cause. More than twenty percent of all people suffering from acute pain in their backs end up developing CBP with persistent symptoms. In most cases, surgical and medical treatment relieves the symptoms and alleviates the discomfort, but in other cases, the problem may persist.

CPB characteristically occurs in the lumbar region within the five vertebrae of the lower back region. This region is the one responsible for supporting the upper part of the body. Movement and other bodily actions result into shock, pressure, and friction in the vertebrae discs. The intervertebral discs function to absorb the shock and minimize friction. Ligaments are available to maintain the vertebrae in place. Signals from the spinal cord are transmitted to the brain by a total of 31 pairs of nerves.

The main causes of this condition usually have a mechanical element. For example, aging causes natural wear and tear to the spine, which becomes progressively painful. Additional causes for the condition include intervertebral degeneration, radiculopathy, sprains and strains, traumatic injury, skeletal irregularities, sciatica, and herniated or ruptured discs.

Sprains and strains are the main cause of this medical condition in most people. Sprains occur when the ligaments in the vertebrae are overstretched or torn. On the other hand, strains are caused by tearing of muscles or tendons. Both strains and sprains may be caused by overstretching, lifting or twisting something improperly, or lifting too much weight. Spasms may also be triggered by such events, causing a lot of pain.

When the spinal nerve root is injured, inflamed and/or compressed, it causes a condition called radiculopathy. The exertion of pressure onto nerve roots causes numbness, pains, or tingling sensation, which radiates to other regions of the body that are served by the nerve. The pressure may result from herniated discs or spinal stenosis.

Accidents, sports, and falls may also cause injury to the tendons, muscles, and ligaments within the back region. Traumatic injury compresses the spine causing intervertebral discs to rupture or herniate. Such discs in turn place pressure onto roots of nerves causing pain. Skeletal irregularities include congenital anomalies like lordosis and scoliosis. Scoliosis is the curving of the spine that only causes problems to mid-aged people.

CBP may also be caused by serious underlying medical conditions although this occurs rarely. Several medical conditions may cause the problem. Major ones are infections, tumors, cauda equine syndrome, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and kidney stones. Osteoporosis, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory diseases of the joints predispose people to CBP.




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