Back Pain

As you probably already know, back pain is a very common complaint. About three in four adults will experience back pain during their lifetime-and that number may very well rise, given our aging population and recent trend of obesity.

Low back pain (pain in your lumbar spine) is the most common. Most back pain comes from sprains and strains caused by stressful movements: lifting something without using proper techniques or a sudden twisting motion are just two examples of how you can hurt your back.

If your back pain is caused by a muscle sprain or strain, that usually heals on its own-just give it time. Your recovery can also be helped along by modest medical attention, such as over-the-counter or prescription medications. You could also use heat or ice packs, or even get a massage.

Sometimes, though, back pain is caused by a more severe spinal condition, such as a herniated disc or spondylosis. Depending on the severity of your pain and its cause, you may require more involved medical help, such as physical therapy or even surgery.

But please keep this in mind: just because you have back pain doesn't mean you'll need serious medical attention or surgery. It does mean that you're in good company and that you have an array of treatment options to get you feeling better.

Back pain is a condition that affects many people in both childhood and adulthood. Left untreated, it can develop into a debilitating complaint that impeeds on many aspects of your life.

A major part of your treatment is educating you on how, why and where your pain originates. Learning and understanding the Anatomy of your Back Pain will provide you with a big step towards feeling better, quicker.

Back pain is its own symptom. However, there are various ways to feel back pain, and your symptoms depend on what is causing your pain and where it is affecting your spine.

Your back pain may be acute or chronic. Acute pain lasts four to six weeks, but chronic pain is persistent, long-term pain-sometimes lasting throughout life. At times, people with chronic pain can have episodes of acute pain.

It's a generally accepted theory that people who have chronic low back pain are less physically fit than people who don't have low back pain.

There are several reasons for this theory. In some people, for instance, the pain may be too great to exercise; other people may be afraid that strenuous activity might lead to an injury, causing even further pain.

Continuous Low level heat appears to trial very well for chronic back pain. That is the application of a continuous heat pack or patch throughout the day gives very good relief of pain.

We have really good (& cheap) heat patches available witihin the clinic or online. The heat patches adhere to the skin or under-clothing.

In a recent consultation with a patient he decided that the Olympic Games were the source of his fairly debilitating back pain.

"I'm Blaming the Olympics for My Back Pain" was the quote.

Blaming back problems on the Olympics isn't really part of the Olympic spirit. In reality, his significantly increased back pain is probably associated with watching hours of Olympic glory slumped over the couch.

New research has shown that the use of mint oil may be more effective in relieving pain than over-the-counter drugs like Panadol or Nurofen.  Why? Mint oil treats the problem... and doesn't just mask the pain.