Excruciating
and debilitating back pain.
Back pain
can range in severity from an annoying and occasional pain to a constant
excruciating and debilitating back pain that may become an overwhelming
negative part of life and relationships.
Muscle strains (pulled muscles) are commonly
identified as the cause of back pain, as are muscle imbalances. Pain from such
an injury often remains as long as the muscle imbalances persist. The muscle
imbalances cause a mechanical problem with the skeleton, building up pressure
at points along the spine, which causes the pain.
Another cause of acute low
back pain is a meniscoid
occlusion. The more mobile regions of the spine, such as the facet joints, have invaginations of their
synovial membranes that act as a cushion to help the bones move over each other
smoothly. The synovial membrane is well supplied with blood and nerves. When
these become pinched or trapped sudden severe pain may result. The pinching
causes the membrane to become inflamed, causing greater pressure and ongoing
pain. Symptoms include severe low back pain that may be accompanied by muscle
spasm, pain with walking, concentration of pain to one side, but no radiculopathy (radiating pain down buttock and
leg). Relief should be felt with flexion (bending forward), and exacerbated
with extension (bending backward).
When back pain lasts more than
three months, or if there is more radicular pain (sciatica) than back pain, a more specific diagnosis can usually be made. There are several
common causes of back pain: for adults under age 50, these include spinal disc herniation
and degenerative disc
disease or isthmic spondylolisthesis; in adults over age 50, common
causes also include osteoarthritis (degenerative
joint disease) and spinal stenosis, trauma, cancer, infection,
fractures, and inflammatory disease. Non-anatomical factors can also contribute
to or cause back pain, such as stress,
repressed anger, or depression. Even
if there is an anatomical cause for the pain, if depression is present it
should also be treated concurrently.
Modern day life with high
levels of stress, sedentary working practices may contribute to the tensions
which cause back pain. Certainly the computer workstation along with the VDU
screen and keyboard results in lower back pain, eye strain, tension and stress.
Only strict adherence to health and safety procedures for sensible computer
usage may mitigate these problems.
There is a whole range of measures aimed at dealing with extreme pain. They range from conventional surgery and drugs, to a whole range of natural holistic answers. Physical therapies including massage, mobilization of joints and energy work. Nutrition plus herbs and supplements such as Glucosamine are another avenue to explore. Pain management systems such as those included in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) offer some new and exciting ways of approaching pain relief. Any or all of these options will be of benefit, perhaps a combination will work in managing instances of extreme pain.