Back Pain or Sciatica? Treatment for Chronic Back Pain

Pain in the upper or lower back a really discomforting situation. Back pain gives great trouble as it can reduce one’s efficiency to usual routine things. The people who suffer from this, and by that I mean more than 90%, can understand how a troubling backache is.

Yes, more than 90% people complain about having pain in the back, while the statistics for the complaint of a chronic backache even more shocking. More than 60% people suffer from a chronic backache and regular pain in the lower back. So it seems that every one of us suffers from it at a point of our life.

Back Pain Cause and Treatment

First, you should ask yourself, is it the normal muscular back pain or the dreadful Sciatica?

Back Pain or Sciatica?

Although Sciatica symptoms resemble very much to the symptoms of chronic back pain; but there are some differences. Sciatica is caused by the irritation of the Sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve originates from the hip joints and goes along down the legs.

Sciatica Back Pain

Sciatica usually affects any one leg and pain occurs below the waist line. Having Sciatica can affect your bodies normal functionality and flexibility and thus can cause back pain.

So, now we know that Sciatica and back pain are closely related, but are actually different problems. Hence the diagnosis and treatment will also be unlike. The question arises that…

How to get rid of Back Pain?

There are many really easy and cheap ways to treat the pain in the lower back. But before the treatment, one should understand the reason behind raging pain. Correct diagnosis and understanding root of the pain will help to choose the correct treatment and get rid of the pain earliest as possible.

Causes of Back Pain?

What causes back pain?

Medical researchers and experts found that there are basically three causes for a backache. Those three causes are listed below:

Pain due to Bad Posture:Having a bad body posture while seating or standing incorrectly, put extra pressure on the tissue and bones of the spine. It can also affect the spinal cord and cause the pain.

Spinal Disc Arrangement: The spinal discs, sometimes due to abnormal pressure on the spine can get out of proper alignment. This condition is known as Slip Disc and it can cause a chronic pain. Also, the discs contain fluid inside them, and pressure can puncture the discs and cause the liquid to leak. This is called as Disc Herniation.

Muscular Dysfunction:  If you don’t move your body and have a sedentary lifestyle, your muscles can lose the flexibility and become loose. Loose muscles and nerves can cause serious pain in the back.

Causes of Back Pain

Doctors believe 70% to 80% of the waist pain is caused by Bad posture.

Therapies for Back Pain

As most cases of Back pain in general, are caused by bad posture, it is not considered to be a serious problem. You may get rid of it by doing some simple workouts, exercises, and diet every day. Let us discuss some therapy option that can get rid of back pain.

Hot and Cold Massage – For this, you will need 2 glass bottles or water bags. Take a bottle/bag and fill it with hot water. Fill cold water in the other one. Now place the hot water bag on the area of pain for 2 minutes. Then put the cold water bag on the same area for a minute.  This hot and cool treatment relaxes the muscles and improves blood flow, thus reduces pain.

Acupuncture – The therapy claims that; inserting tiny needles into the skin stimulates the secretion of naturally occurring chemicals such as serotonin, choline, and endorphins. These chemicals can reduce the pain. However, the therapy is only moderately effective in the treatment of Chronic Pain.

Back Pain in Lumbar Region

Chiropractic Massage – An osteopathic physician or Chiropractor can perform the treatment called Spinal Manipulation to reduce the pain. It is the technique of applying pressure with hands on the lumbar region of the spine. In some cases, traction on the spine or pulling the spine also provides relaxation from pain.

Both these treatments have a temporary effect and they will not treat any underlying cause of back pain. But they are a good option for instant relief.

Exercises to Reduce Chronic Back Pain

There are a lot of easy and simple stretches and exercises that you can do to get rid of the back pain. But, do the exercises as instructed by a Physical trainer or a Doctor. Keep this in mind; Doing wrong or incorrect exercises can worsen your condition and increase the pain.

Here are some of the exercises you can do to reduce chronic back pain:

Partial Crunches:

Back Pain Exercise

This exercise helps by strengthening your back and abdominal muscles. Simply, lie down on the floor and fold your knees, while your toes are touching the ground. Fold your hands on the side of your head, and pull your upper body upwards. Remember – It is not a full Crunch, so pulling your just 5 to 6 inches above the ground will be enough. Also, breathe in while you pull the body up, and exhale slowly while coming down.

Hamstring Stretches:

Hamstring Stretch

Lie down, keep your body relaxed and straight. Fold your knees and loop a long piece of cloth through one of your feet. Now straighten the leg with cloth on feet, slowly move it up. Hold the foot up for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat the procedure again with putting the cloth on the other leg. This exercise relaxes the thigh muscles and strains on the sciatic nerve. Do at least 5 set of this exercise.

Back extension Press up:

Back Extension

Lie on your stomach, keep the hands in front and palms touching the ground. Now fold your elbow and gently lift the shoulders above the ground. Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds.

This pose is very similar to the Yoga pose known as Bhujanga Asana. Repeat this pose whenever you feel a strain on the back.

Back Bridging:

Back bridging

Lie on your back, fold your knees and keep the feet flat on the ground. Now try to push and lift your waist and hips above. Hold the position for 5 seconds then slowly lower the hips back. Maintain breathing: Breathe in while you move the hip above, and slowly exhale while gently bringing the waist down.

Exercises like Sit-ups, Toe touches, Leg lifts, and heavy weight lifts can induce pressure on the back, hence these are not advised if you have pain the back. Bed Rest is not advisable for back pain. As resting in bed makes your muscles loose.

Depending on the diagnosis of the patient and the specific level of pain, the exercises and rehabilitation programs will be very different. Patients with the problem in spinal cord should be trained in a separate program than the patients who have back pain but not any spinal condition.

How to Prevent Pain in Lower Back?

If waist pain is persistent then it is very important to change your sleep situation too. Sleep with a pillow placed under your hips to relax the muscles in the lumbar region. Avoid stretch or pull to the lumbar bones while sleeping and other daily activities.

While on the job, instead of sitting continuously at one place, get and walk around every couple of hours. Don’t let your muscles get inactive for long hours.

Change your dressing habits, wear clothes which are loose on the waist. Also, avoid wearing high heels. Wear flat sole shoes and go for a walk.

Change your standing and sitting posture. Try to keep your spine straight as much as possible. DO not tilt or bend your waist while sitting.

Your food also plays an important role in it. Calcium and magnesium are helpful in strengthening bones. Fish, Sesame grains, pumpkin, and leafy vegetables etc. are helpful in the prevention of back pain.

Medical Treatment for Lower Back Pain

If the pain on your back is persistent and not subsided by postural changes, you may go for the medical treatment options. There are various medicines and procedures available to cure back pain depending on the condition of the patients. Some commonly practiced medicines are listed below:

Pain Relief Balms: This generally constitutes a combination of medicated oils and chemicals which are proven to reduce symptoms of pain. Most balms come in a combination of chemicals with Menthol or Eucalyptus oil as the base. Nowadays, these balms come in many forms such as ointments, sprays, gels etc. But they are only limited to external use only.

NSAID’s: If the back pain is not resolved with balms and other therapies, a doctor may prescribe you take Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Drugs like Hydrocodone or Codeine can be given for a short period under strict observation of a Doctor.

Antidepressants: In some cases, patients can also be prescribed to antidepressants for pain relief. Whether the patient has depression or not, medicines like amitriptyline have been effective in reducing pain symptoms.

Hormonal Injection: Though prescribed rarely, Hormones such as Cortisone can be given through an injection. This option is only taken when the pain is chronic & migrating towards legs.

In some absolute patients, when the pain is really chronic (long-term) and severe, you can opt for Surgeries as well. Upon inspecting the condition of your spine and waist, a surgeon may suggest you go for a Diskectomy, Fusion Surgery, Partial Vertebra Removal or Artificial Disk procedures. Surgeries have only opted when the patients have damage or herniation on the disks.