What Does Baptism Signify?
Do you suffer from back pain? Have you ever groaned, “Oh, my aching back!” You are not alone! Back pain is one of the most common medical problems of modern society and the second leading cause of all doctor visits today. Pain relief is big business. An estimated $50 billion a year is spent on the treatment of low back pain alone.
Back pain affects 70 to 80 percent of the population at some point in life and is the most common cause of limited activity.1
Backache, medically known as “dorsalgia,” generally refers to pain below the cervical level that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder which affects the lumbar segment of the spine.
If unattended, back pain can last for a long period of time, and can become disabling. Back pain comes in many forms. It may be a sudden and sharp pain or it could be dull. Pain may occur with movement, and it may even occur with coughing and sneezing.
Have you ever wondered about your back while looking at the anatomy chart in the doctor’s office? Have you ever tried to sit or stand in the posture printed on the chart? It is worth trying. We need to know our body structure in order to understand back pain.
Our backbone, which is also called the spinal or vertebral column, provides support and protection. It consists of 33 bones called vertebrae. The discs between each of the vertebrae act like pads or shock absorbers. Each disc is made up of an outer band called the annulus fibrosus, and there is a gel-like inner substance called the nucleus pulposus. The vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel known as the spinal canal which house the spinal cord. The spinal nerves emerge from the spinal cord and go out to different parts of the body.
Our back also consists of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. Muscles are strands of tissues that support movement. Ligaments are the strong, flexible bands of fibrous tissue that link the bones together, and tendons connect muscles to bones and discs. Blood vessels provide nourishment. These parts all work together to help us move about.2
Back pain may be as a result of injury to any or all of these body parts. Injury to the soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons, results in sprains or strains, which are generally not considered serious. On the other hand, injury to bones, nerves, or blood vessels may be more serious. The outer layers of discs can get tears or cracks, allowing the annulus fibrosus or nucleus pulposus to bulge out. Any of these injuries can cause inflammation and pain.3
Back pain has a variety of causes, including poor posture and poor body mechanics like standing for long periods of time or sitting incorrectly. Uncommon but serious causes of back pain may include infections, tumors, and fractures. Many are suffering from back pain because of sprains and strains caused by stressful movements.
Let us consider here some common causes of back pain:
Sprain: A sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament, the fibrous band of connective tissue that joins the end of one bone with another. Sprain is caused by direct or indirect trauma. A sudden fall, a blow, a crash, or sports injury can cause a sprain or strain - or even just lifting something too heavy. All sports and exercises, even walking, carry a risk of sprains.
Strain: A strain is a twist, pull and/or tear of a muscle and/or tendon. Tendons are fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to bone. When a back injury occurs, muscles, ligaments, and tendons can become over-stretched, overused, or torn. Tissues can swell, causing pain, tenderness, and stiffness. Quick start sports, contact sports, and the sports that require extensive gripping have a high incidence of strains.
Obesity: The spine carries a large portion of our weight. Overweight puts pressure and stress on the back, in particular the lower back. In addition to that, carrying excess weight aggravates other health conditions like osteoporosis (weak bones), osteoarthritis (joint pain), rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease), spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis (degenerative disc disease).
Aging: With aging, ligaments thicken and discs dry out. These age-related changes in the spine may lead to disorders that create pressure on your spinal nerves causing pain, numbness, or weakness. Degenerative disc disease is an age-related spinal disorder. Sometimes the discs can lose their structure and function because of normal wear and tear, but it can result in a herniated disc (bulging out) and pain. At times when there’s a tear, chemicals are released, and they can irritate the spinal nerves, causing a specific type of nerve pain (radiculopathy).
Stress: Stress is a feeling that is created when we react to particular events. It’s the body’s way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness. “Stress appears to be the leading risk factor for back pain and injuries,” said Michael R. Bracko, Ed.D., FACSM, during an address at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 10th-annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition in Orlando, Florida.
Heavy physical work: Some heavy physical works that cause back pain are:
• Static posture - sitting and standing.
• Repetitive work (bending, twisting, pushing, pulling, and lifting).
• Slipping, tripping or falling.
• Twisting while the spine is loaded (carrying something).
• Vibration while driving.
• Fatigue or poor muscle endurance (excessive overtime, work-to-rest ratio).
• “Attitude” at work leading to accidents (poor or high-risk attitude). Lack of work satisfaction and lack of motivation.
• Mental fatigue (forgetting to lift properly).
• Lack of sleep or fatigue.
• Emotional instability.
• Lack of physical activity/too much physical activity.
• Poor muscle endurance, and poor trunk muscle stabilization.
• Excessive weight.
We all know that prevention is better than cure.
Action can be taken to prevent back pain or postpone the degeneration of the spine and disks. The best way to prevent back pain is to exercise regularly. Regular exercise reduces pain, strengthens the weak muscle, decreases mechanical stress on your back, improves your mobility, stabilizes your back, and decreases the rate of severe and/or recurring back pain, allowing quicker recovery from a future flare of back pain.
Back strengthening and stretching exercises are recommended at least 2 or 3 times a week.
The following are some examples of back exercises:
• Partial sit-up: Lie down on your back. With bent knees, slowly raise your head and shoulders off the floor, and hold for 10 seconds.
• Knee-to-Chest Raise: Lie down on your back. Slowly pull knees to chest, relaxing your neck and back, hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
• Press-up: Lie down on your back with hands at your sides. Raise up your pelvis painlessly, hold for 10 seconds, and repeat 10 times.
• Sitting Flexion: Sit on a firm stool or chair with your legs apart (forming a V) and your hands resting on your knees. Bend forward slowly at the waist, touching the floor with your hands. Hold this position for three to five seconds and then slowly return to the sitting position.
These exercises strengthen the back muscles, allowing them to withstand the rigors of everyday activities. If you have had previous back pain or medical problems, make sure to check with your doctor before starting these exercises. Preventive measures include strengthening of the back and adopting good body techniques.
Another way of preventing back pain is by using good back techniques at home and at work.
Adopt a straight posture, sitting or standing. You should try not to bend the back. Bend instead at the knees or at the hips. This is true as when lifting objects, tying shoes, putting socks or pants on, and the like.
Avoid high heels, because they cause the curve at the base of the spine to increase. This not only compresses the vertebrae but stretches the abdominal muscles and throws the contents of the abdomen forward. The effect is to reduce the intra-abdominal pressure with the result that the spine has less support at the front of the body.4
Use ice: If your back pain has suddenly arrived, then the first tip you need is to use ice in the first 48 hours. Most back pain will ease and disappear within that time, and sometimes within the day.
See your doctor: Now please remember, if you have had a fall or major injury, use ice, but use it on the way to seeing your doctor or hospital. It is still essential to be checked over, if you have had an injury that has led to back pain.
Get moving! Most back pain appreciates movement. So try to keep active, go for a walk (even if it is just around your living room). Pain should ease with movement. If it gets worse, then stop. Get a phone and call someone for help.
We need to show the people that “it is not God who causes pain and suffering, but that man through his own ignorance and sin has brought this condition upon himself.”5
In order that we may have pain free life we ought to:
Evaluate the condition of our body and its pain.
Educate in exercising proper posture.
Engage in proper physical exercise and body movements.
Experience the great feeling of smartness without strain.
Enjoy life without pain.