Back pain: causes, symptoms, remedies

What is it

Back pain is one of the most frequent pain syndromes and it is no coincidence that it is among the main reasons why medical advice is required.

The generic term back pain refers to different types of disorders (which can be caused by trauma, incorrect posture or deformation of the spine, such as kyphosis and lordosis), but in general two forms can be distinguished: acute and chronic.

Symptoms

The symptom that unites all types of back pain is acute or chronic pain. And starting from the precise location, intensity, duration and particular moments during the day in which the painful sensation is found, the nature of the disorder can be precisely established.

Causes

Back pain can be associated with osteoarthritis or more serious conditions, but fortunately it is usually a transient disorder caused by trauma.

The causes of back pain can be many, such as muscle stretching due to an incorrect or sudden movement (as in the case of whiplash) or a contracture caused by posture errors, often in fact we spend hours sitting at the desk or in the car assuming positions that seem comfortable, but which are very wrong for our back. In other cases, back pain may arise when lifting children incorrectly, causing for example a witch’s blow, or practicing a sport: for example, a link has been observed between intensive cycling and back pain.

If we add to this the sedentary lifestyle, advancing age and a few extra pounds, it is not surprising that it often happens to feel back pain.

Therapies

Therapies against back pain, whether acute or chronic, have these objectives:

• reduce the intensity of pain in the shortest possible time
• restoring individual working capacity
• allow the patient to endure residual pain
• achieve complete remission of symptoms, in the absence of serious underlying causes.

Therapies vary depending on the disorder and sometimes you need to try more than one treatment to get relief.

Usually the first thing to do is to pass the pain with the help of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.

NSAIDs, such as naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen and ketoprofen, are widely used. You can buy them in pharmacies without a prescription. The pharmacist’s advice on the molecule that best suits your needs is always appropriate.

You can choose between various formulations: swallowable tablets or granules to be dissolved in water (oral administration), creams and gels (topical treatment) or injectable solutions (stings for back pain are usually recommended in case of very intense pain).

In addition, against back pain an immediate remedy can be the application of heat (for example with a hot water bottle or warming patches for the back).

If the pain is very strong and the self-medication remedy is not enough, it is good to contact your doctor. For example, against sciatica the remedies include, in addition to anti-inflammatories, also cortisone, while in the case of low back pain, the remedies are not only pharmacological, but physical therapies such as tecar therapy can also be prescribed.

Once the symptom has been alleviated, it is good to start moving again, the movement in fact allows the relaxation of the muscle groups and the restoration of optimal conditions. For example, walking is good for the back, but without overdoing it.

It is important to start slowly with rehabilitation-type exercises for back pain and consulting a licensed physiotherapist. It is in fact recommended to make a continuous training path to avoid the recurrence of events, strengthening the muscles of the trunk and learning to assume a correct posture. In some cases, a shiatsu massage may be recommended against back pain, provided that it is practiced by an expert in this technique and there are no particular contraindications.

Finally, although it is good to change the mattress regularly, it does not seem that there is actually a correct position to sleep with back pain.

If you want to know more about back pain medications read this article.

Prevention

How to prevent back pain? Surely maintaining a correct back posture in the office or at school, not sleeping on the sofa or practicing regular exercises to strengthen the back are excellent habits to avoid annoying pain. Sport can also help: in particular, to prevent back pain, swimming seems to be among the most suitable activities.

When to consult your doctor

Back pain is usually a temporary disorder, usually within a few days it resolves on its own, if not and the pain persists it is essential to contact your doctor.