Back Pain: A Common Phenomenon

Back pain is a common phenomenon in the United States with nearly 80% of the population suffering from it.

The overuse of the muscles in the back or a strain/injury to the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine are the most common causes of back pain. Back pain can be acute, recurrent or chronic.

Most of the people suffering from back pain fall in the first category wherein the pain vanishes in about six weeks and home remedies prove to be very effective. In the case of the recurrent category, the pain reappears after some time while chronic pain lasts for a longer period of time.

A strain in the back muscles due to bending, twisting or lifting some weight generally leads to back pain. An infection, arthritis or ovarian cysts can also be a cause of back pain. In today’s times people often sit in one posture for a long time and thus experience pain in their backs.

Back pain may emerge suddenly but it develops over a longer period of time and is generally a result of a strain in the back muscles. The accumulation of acidic byproducts such as lactic acid and pyruvic acid restricts the normal functioning of muscle tissues and leads to irritation or pain in the muscles.

This results in a problem known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The effective treatment of one’s back pain can only be done after a proper diagnosis of the factors causing the pain is done. A severe back pain may often be the result of muscle spasms emanating from a simple back strain.

On the other hand a person with a herniated disc may not experience any pain in his back for a long period of time. So it is very important to know about the real cause of the back pain. An injury to the muscle ligament or tendon is less worrisome and easily curable than a bone fracture or tumor in the spine.

The most common symptoms of back pain due to a herniated disc are the numbness in the legs and the back. Degenerative disc disorder and osteoarthritis can result in a situation where the pain aggravates with the movement of the back.

A minor pain in the back can also be due to the initiation of arthritis. An orthopedic surgeon or a spine specialist should be consulted in case of chronic pain.

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