Don't Ignore Back Pain: Seek Relief Today

Some kinds of back pain are relatively minor, and will subside on their own after a few weeks. Other types of back pain seem to persist indefinitely, and they can get bad enough that they literally dominate your thinking and your actions. Back pain can even get so bad as to be debilitating, and keep you out of work, while also preventing you from carrying out your normal daily tasks and activities. When you experience back pain that is severe, or if it lasts longer than a couple weeks, you shouldn’t ignore it and hope it goes away. That’s when you need to contact us at the Connecticut Disc & Laser Therapy Center for treatment.

Causes of back pain

Your back is comprised of many different ligaments, muscles, tendons, bones, and disks, all of which work in tandem to support your whole body, and to allow you to move about freely. Each one of the spinal segments is cushioned by a pad which is very much like cartilage, and is called a disk. Whenever any of these disks slip out of place, or when any of the other components of your spine become strained or traumatized, it will be felt as back pain.

You can also experience back pain as a result of poor posture, which puts undue strain and pressure on some segments of the spine, because your center of gravity has been altered. Causes of back pain include strained ligaments or muscles, muscle tension, spasms among the muscles, disks which have been damaged, fractures, injuries, or falls affecting the spine.

Structural issues

In addition to those causes, back pain can also be triggered by a number of structural issues. These include ruptured discs, bulging discs, kidney problems, osteoporosis, abnormal spinal curvature, sciatica, and arthritis. Any of these problems can be felt by the victim as back pain or discomfort. The problem with all this is that there are literally so many causes for back pain, that it can be difficult to diagnose the actual underlying issue.

However, at your doctor’s office you may need to undergo an MRI scan or x-rays, and these will help to pinpoint the specific area causing your back pain. Once the cause is known, a program of treatment can be developed which focuses on that specific cause, and on managing it so that it comes under control.

Poor posture is to blame for back pain in a great many cases, especially if the poor posture has been in effect for an extended period of time. For instance, someone who sits in a hunched-over position at their desk for hours every day, might very well develop back pain because the spine is misaligned for all those hunched-over hours. It’s also possible to develop poor posture habits from a number of other daily activities such as twisting, over-stretching, bending awkwardly, lifting heavy objects, straining the neck such as when driving, or sleeping in a bad position.

Acute or chronic pain?

When you have any type of back pain, it will fall into one of two categories, those being either acute or chronic. Acute back pain starts fairly suddenly, and it can last as long as six weeks. Chronic pain may develop much more slowly, and it will also last much longer, usually at least three months or more.

In addition, chronic back pain will generally trigger some other symptoms and problems that the victim will have to deal with. A doctor can usually tell which type of pain you have by your description of what it feels like, but in order to diagnose the underlying cause of your pain it will generally be necessary to take x-rays or to conduct an MRI scan.

Treatment for back pain

Some kinds of back pain can be resolved simply by resting and making use of home remedies, such as over-the-counter pain relief medication. Sometimes ice packs or hot compresses can also be effective at reducing pain and swelling in the lower back. It’s usually a good idea to keep moving around when you have back pain, so that stiffness can be eased and so muscles don’t become progressively weaker. There are various types of medical treatment available for more persistent back pain, starting with prescription medication such as codeine or hydrocodone.

These two particular medications will require supervision by a doctor, since they’re considered to be addictive. Other kinds of treatment include physical therapy, cortisone injections, cognitive behavioral therapy, and even traction, which can help move a herniated disc back into its proper position. At the Connecticut Disc and Laser Therapy Center, we will work with you to determine the true cause of your underlying back pain, and then we’ll develop a program of treatment which focuses on minimizing or eliminating that back pain.