The Truth On Back Pain

Summary:

Back pain is a common affliction in a majority of the people worldwide and yet there seems to be a lot of confusion over the causes, symptoms, and the treatment aspects. Even physicians are sometimes confused over the actual cause of the pain as well as the actual location of the pain. It is not just the elderly people, but the youngsters also seem to be dealing with this problem on a daily basis. We will try to clear the air about certain misconceptions regarding back pain.

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Back pain affects close to 80% of the population and everybody goes through a back ache at some point in their lives. There is no escaping this reality as this is a normal part of life. There are a number of people who are sufferers for many years from chronic back pain.

In the US alone, back pain seems to be the leading cause of absenteeism among the workforce, especially in the above 45 age group. Around 50% of the people visit the physicians due to back-related issues. In fact, there are millions of people who go through back surgery to sort out the back-related problems. A number of people are hospitalized each year due to back pain.

Back pain is something that can affect anyone at any point in time. Even if you are healthy otherwise and even if you exercise regularly, you may still face this problem due to varied reasons. It has also been noticed that people experience sudden onset of back pain where there is no known cause.

While most people think that back pain is related to the spinal cord, it is not so. In fact, it is not the spinal cord that causes any problem, until it is damaged due to some direct impact. When the spinal cord is damaged directly, the person may be paralyzed. The paralysis may be neck down or waist down depending on where the injury occurs. Hence, it is not the spinal cord that causes back pain. However, irritated nerve roots may be the cause for back pain.

The lumbar one or L1 is the place where the spinal cord ends. The entire spinal column has different sections and the lumbar section is the lower back and that is where all weight of the body is concentrated. This is also the place where the nerve roots are located. Hence, any irritation to the nerve roots will cause back pain, but the pain is never due to the spinal cord. So, paralysis due to back pain is virtually impossible.

Many people assume that when they have chronic back pain, there is ongoing damage to the lower back. However, that is not true and chronic back pain need not necessarily mean continuous damage to the back. Unlike acute back pain that comes and goes, chronic back pain remains constant and lasts for over three months. However, the level of acute pain may sometimes be associated with the extent of damage on the affected area. If all these myths are removed, most people will have a better chance to cope with their situation.

2011? Dr. Brendal Norris, Chiropracticbackpainrelief.org, Read other articles about back pain and back pain relief at http://chiropracticbackpainrelief.org for more answers to your questions about back pain, its causes, and cures.This article is from http://chiropracticbackpainrelief.org/the-truth-on-back-pain