LOW BACK PAIN AND ITS TREATMENT

 Low back pain is a common term most people and practitioners use in daily language. If we talk about the specific terminology or the medical term for low back pain then its name is “lumbago” . back pain involves the thoracic or lumbar region, but in low back pain, the main focus is on the lumbar region with basic involvement. The lumbar spine or lumbar region includes five vertebrae L1,L2,L3, L4,L5.
low back pain or lumbago involves muscles, nerves, and bones, lower area of ribs from the back and sometimes pain may be felt on the buttocks as well. Low back pain have different pain intensity. Patients can experience pain from mil to moderate or in some cases severe low back pain can be seen in patients.pain is an unpleasant feeling that cause discomfort and its nature can be sharp, shooting, burning pain. Therapist or health care provider assess the pain intensity and its nature that help them in making clinical judgement about the underlying disease or if it is simply back pain. Differential diagnosis is made by screening questions, for example, if pain seems low back involvement but sometimes it is radiating toward the hip or posterior of the thigh unilaterally,it may be a sign of nerve involvement or neuropathy and it may be sciatica. So low back should be assessed and examined very carefully. Patient history will helps professionals a lot in diagnosis. similarly while examining low back pain patient should be asked questions like if he can distinguish the exact location of pain. If the pain is localized or diffused. If pain is referred to any other region and then should be ruled out if pain is simply low back pain or not. Then practitioners should arrange the treatment plan accordingly.

 
CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN.
 
BAD POSTURE CAN BE A CAUSE OF LOW-BACK PAIN BECAUSE POSTURE CONTROL IS VERY IMPORTANT in muscle involvement. if a muscle is lengthened for a long time or shortened excessively due to continuous bad positioning there is stress or strain on the muscle and ultimately strain will lead to pain.
    Unequal loading on the spine is also a risk factor. If a person is repeatedly lifting a weight of unequal magnitude and there is an extra shock on the spine at one point and not equally distributed magnitude of weight, it will lead to back pain.
    Continuous heavy weight lifting put muscles under stress and they lose their flexibility or become tight ultimately causing discomfort and person go through with low back pain, so proper care should be opted for while lifting weights, and weight management awareness should be given by physios
    Prolonged sitting is also a cause of lumbago. Muscle lose their elasticity or their ability to recoil. Sometimes spasticity occur and it cause low back pain.
    Wrong positioning while sleeping or poor posture leads to low back pain.
    Sometimes there may be hidden or occult fractures if the pain intensity is too high.
    A herniated discs also causes low back pain and patient feel severe pain in the low back.
Negligence of people and not taking care of themselves or poor posture is making low back pain more common even among young people.
 
DIAGNOSIS:
For diagnosis patient history is important.
For further details make a differential diagnosis.
Radio logical findings reveals various facts if something is beyond understanding.
MRI also reveals various things if there is any nerve impingement, vertebral prolapse or facet joint disorders.
Ask the patient about the nature of the work he does.
 
TREATMENT OF LOW BACK PAIN OR LUMBAGO:
Low back pain is such a vast topic that it is not possible to cover all the treatment protocols. Major and the most used treatment methods will be discussed here so people at home can get benefits if they are struggling with low back pain. One thing to keep remembering is if you are having low back pain for so long time or chronically then never do self medication or exercises. You should consult with your doctor so you may not suffer from adverse reactions.
Some treatment are discussed below:
    Use muscle relaxant. As muscle relaxant will help in reducing the stress over muscle and reduce the tightness of muscle eventually one can get relief.muscle relaxant can be in form of tablets or ointments as well.
    Heat pack can helps a person to get soothing effect and helps in getting temporary relief from low back pain as heats closes pain receptors.
    Stretching is mostly an important part of physical therapy. Stretching is something to stretch the muscle so they can help i8n treating muscle tightness, helps in building muscle elasticity and if there is any tissue restriction then it improves the pattern and increase range of movement.
    Self stretching can be done if you are suffering from acute or mild low back pain.
    Bridging exercise helps patient a lot .
    Tender point or trigger point ,if someone experiencing tight ,taut bands or spots then they can go through for physiotherapy to get their trigger points released by physio and helps them in relieving pressure.
    Avoid jerky movement.
    Weight lifting techniques should be choose wisely for example you can transfer weight to your knees as well rather then giving shock to you spine by heavy lifting due to bad posture.
    TENS:
    TENS is trans cutaneous electric nerve stimulation commonly used in physical therapy while practice. This device give vibration and shut the pain causing receptors or free endings.
    SHORT WAVE DIATHERMY also helps in getting relief from low back pain and helps in chronic low back pain too.
    MOBILIZATION OR MANIPULATION BY GETTING CHIROPRACTOIC SESSION OR PHYSIOTHERAPY SESSION :
For mobilization or manipulation you should must consult with professional healthcare providers so they can opt all the care while giving treatment.
 
So these were some common practicing treatment for low back pain. One thing to keep remember is there should be always primary prevention and good lifestyle . people should take care themselves in daily works if they are heavy lifters or do any chore that involve weight lifting. Daily exercises or good posture can help in a healthy lifestyle. While walking or sitting one thing to keep focus on should be the erect and accurate posture so your balance or muscle coordination can not be disturbed .
see a doctor immediately if you are having consistent pain for more than 72 hours and your pain intensity is sharp ,shooting or severe.