Back pain cure challenge

Having suffered from chronic back pain for a number of years I kept asking my doctor is there a cure for back pain? He constantly prescribed pain killers and said just keep mobile. He was treating the symptoms not the root problem.

If your back is injured then you can expect to have back pain for some time afterward; for most people, their only concern is to receive back pain relief medication to dull the pain. While there are a host of prescription medications that help with pain relief, many are doing nothing more than masking the symptoms instead of tackling the underlying cause of the pain.

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Understanding the cause of your back pain is the key to proper treatment. Because back pain is sometimes difficult to treat, a better understanding of the causes of this problem will assist patients in their recovery from back pain.

Causes of Back Pain

Lumbar Muscle Strain
Muscle strains are the most common cause of low back pain. Patients may or may not remember the initial event that triggered their muscle spasm, but the good news is that most episodes of back pain from muscle strains resolve completely within a few weeks.

Arthritis- This refers to the inflammation of the joints or pain that occurs in the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis- This is also marked by inflammation and stiffness of the joints and undergoes three phases which are inflammation, thickening and joint damage. This disease results in loss of mobility, weakness and deformity. Anti-inflammatory medications and active physical and water therapy are some of the useful treatments for this disease

Osteoarthritis- It is the most common type of arthritis caused by the breakdown of the joint cartilage over time. Cartilage cushions the joints but when it deteriorates bones rub against each other resulting in pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Hip Osteoarthritis- It refers to the breakdown of cartilage in the hip joint causing back, hip and leg pain. People with hip arthritis have limitations in their hip motion. Hip replacement surgery is the successful treatment for hip osteoarthritis.

Ruptured Disc
A ruptured intervertebral disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain. How to treat the back pain from a herniated disc depends on the particular individual and situation.

Discogenic Back Pain
Discogenic back pain is thought to be a common cause of low back pain. Discogenic back pain cis the result of damage to the intervertabral disc, but without disc herniation. Diagnosis of discogenic back pain may require the use of a discogram.

Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis causes back pain in the aging population. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions. If the spinal canal becomes too tight, back pain can be the result.

Lumbar Spine Arthritis
Arthritis most commonly affects joints such as the knees and fingers. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement.

Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis causes back pain because adjacent vertebra become unstable and begin to "slip." The most common cause of spondylolisthesis is due to degenerative changes causing loss of the normal stabilizing structures of the spinal column. If the spine becomes unstable enough, back pain can become a problem.

Osteoporosis- It refers to the skeletal disorder in which the bones become thin, brittle and more prone to fractures. It commonly affects women after menopause due to estrogen deficiency leading to compression fracture of vertebrae which in turn leads to back pain. Adequate calcium intake and weight bearing exercise prevents osteoporosis. Back pain is caused if the vertebral body becomes so weak that it can no longer withstand stress applied to it or if the patient has minor trauma. Treatments for osteoporosis includes rigid braces to support the spine, resting. Very rarely surgery is required for the treatment of this disease