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Pain Pain Treatment

Beating Back Pain

Can low back pain always be traced back to an injury?
Clearly people can be involved in motor vehicle accidents, falls, injuries where the back is involved. But for most people who develop back pain, it's very hard for them to remember a specific event or injury that occurred.

What are some at-home recommendations to help with low back pain?
For people who have been having symptoms for maybe less than a week, there's some relatively simple things that can be done. Number one is not staying in bed. In the past, doctors put patients at bed rest for back pain. Now there's actually a lot of evidence that that isn't a really good idea. The concept of continuing with your usual activity as much as possible, particularly walking, is a very important thing.

A lot of people who have back pain due to the muscles and ligaments will often report that it's worse with prolonged sitting, so avoid that. If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk at work, you need to get up and walk around.

The other thing that I often recommend is walking, because it is really good for most of the muscle and ligament problems associated with back pain. But there are studies that show that exercises that are good for strengthening the back, in the very acute stages, actually can make the pain worse.

Over-the-counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen and antiinflammatory medicines like ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin, can all be effective ways of decreasing the amount of pain and letting you continue with your usual activities while the pain gets better.

Typically, in time, the body will heal itself.

When should someone seek out a doctor?
There are some studies that say only about 40 percent of people who have a back pain episode will go to see a healthcare provider. The most common reason to see someone would be for people who have back pain that is particularly severe and isn't letting them do their usual activities, or pain that isn't getting better after a number of days, or pain that radiates into the leg. If one thinks there's a pinched nerve, it's probably a good idea to be evaluated.

It is possible to distinguish between different causes?
It depends on where the pain is located. Sciatica refers to pain that originates in the back or buttocks and radiates typically down the back and side of the leg. Typically those people who have major pinching of the sciatic nerve will have the pain going down below the knee, usually all the way down to the ankle. Associated symptoms include numbness, tingling, and burning in the affected leg, and when severely pinched, the nerve injury can include weakness in the affected muscles.

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