Upper and Lower Back Pain
Upper and lower back pain is not a disease, it is a symptom. It indicates that there is a problem somewhere on the back. Since they are based on different diseases and can occur in different places e.g. in the upper, middle or lower back, they have many names.
For different people, back pain can happen in different ways, and it can happen at any time. perhaps when you sit down, walk, drive, tie your shoelaces, or even just turn around to pick a phone call. You may be lucky to feel the pain only slightly. But you may also, unfortunately, have tingling pain in your back as if a drill was drilling in the back.
Back pain types according to the duration:
- Acute back pain: Sudden onset and persistence of symptoms for up to six weeks.
- Subacute back pain: pain lasts longer than six and up to twelve weeks.
- Chronic back pain: The patient still has symptoms after twelve weeks.
Lower Back Pain
Low back pain is characterized by pain in the lower back (lumbar region). An injury or a problem that affects the muscles, ligaments or intervertebral discs can be the cause. Some people are at greater risk of developing this pain. This is the case with people who often sit and have poor posture, perform demanding physical tasks or are overweight.
Upper Back Pain
People with back pain usually have pain in the lower back. But pain can also occur in the upper back. They can even radiate to the chest or neck, completely disrupting daily activities.
Upper back pain is a fairly rare form of back pain because the upper back is generally less strained. These pains are most often felt between the shoulder blades, but can also be felt at the base of the neck or in the rib cage. They can also cause headaches and difficulty breathing.
Upper and Lower Back Pain causes
Vertebral Blockage
Vertebral misalignment or blockage can also occur if a person does anything which the body is not used to doing (such as jerky movements during sport).
Strain in Muscles
The strain happens if muscle fibres stretch or tear. The strain happens for two reasons: if muscle contracts strongly or it has been stretched beyond the limits. The pain may be accompanied by difficulty moving and may reach the upper thigh but rarely reaches below the knee.
Sciatic Nerve
A pinched sciatic nerve can move the pain from buttocks to the back of the legs.
Weak muscles
If the muscles around the quadratus lumbar are weak, it can cause other muscles to work harder than necessary.
Kidney stones
kidney stones mostly occur in men. Location of the kidney stone triggers a wavy back or cramp-like pain.
Osteoarthritis
It is caused by cartilage breakdown which cushions small facet joints in the spine.
Bad posture
Which adds additional tension to the muscle. Bending over, leaning to the side, or sitting without a back can cause the muscle to become numb and tense.
Myofascial pain
It causes severe and deep muscle pain.
Urological diseases
Such as urinary tract infections, urinary tract stones and more sudden onset of low back pain, radiation along the ureter to the lower abdomen, accompanied by hematuria and oliguria. Some cholecystitis, gallbladder stone pain can also radiate to the lower back.
Other problems which cause upper back pain are problems in gallbladder, an infection or cancer.
Back pain treatment
The non-surgical treatment mentioned in this article is mainly to educate patients, relieve pain and improve function, reduce any adverse reactions caused by treatment, and avoid chronic disease.
Biomechanical posture
Maintaining correct body posture in daily life is also the best way to easily reduce the symptoms of low back pain.
Drug treatment
Drug treatment can be said to be the cornerstone of non-surgical treatment. The choice of various drugs, dosage and use, and time are all judged. But the most important thing is to avoid dependency.
Change of activity level
All patients with back pain will change their activity level or stop activity under subconscious protection to improve their pain symptoms, so it is often recommended to stop activity for at least a few days until the pain symptoms are reduced.
Physical therapy
It includes cold compresses, hot compresses, short-wave hyperthermia, ultrasound and massage treatments to relieve back pain.
Massage therapy
Long-term use of this therapy will affect the patient’s recovery.
Exercise therapy
There are many exercises which help to improve back pain. These exercises also strengthen back muscles, improve posture and function, and therefore can improve osteoporosis caused by long-term low back pain.
Protective equipment
It has a therapeutic effect on acute or chronic back pain. Its main function Remind the patient of correct posture, especially in lifting heavy objects or bending over at work to avoid injury.
Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of more than 2,000 years. However, it was introduced to the West in the 1960s. Although the treatment effect has been partially confirmed, it mainly depends on whether the healer is legal and truly understands traditional medicine. Home reports give positive affirmation, but it is not recommended to use this therapy on the first line.
Ayurveda
As far as Indian therapy is concerned, massage with sesame oil around the waistline of the patient’s back can effectively prevent and relieve back pain. This push oil method can well care the back and prevent lesions.
Surgical treatment
If the back pain is severe, surgery may be needed. This option is usually needed when previous treatments have not had positive effects. However, if the patient begins to have a loss of bowel or bladder control or has a progressive neurological loss, surgery is performed immediately.
Back Pain Treatment at Home
Hyperthermia
Our daily activities may cause back muscle strain, which hinders the normal flow of blood. Hyperthermia can effectively solve this situation and help the body recover faster. Common methods of hyperthermia include hot showers and heating pads.
Swim
Swimming is also an effective way to relieve back pain. For best results, make sure to swim at least three times a week.
Ginger root
Ginger contains anti-inflammatory agents, some of which have similar effects to aspirin. Cut a piece of ginger into small pieces, put it in 1 litre of water and boil for 30 minutes, add some sugar and honey, it is the “drink” used to treat back pain!
Upper and Lower Back Pain Exercises
Precautions when exercising with lower back pain
- Exercise slowly and smoothly, and exercise on carpeted floors or hard surfaces.
- Use proper breathing techniques: at rest, exhale slowly during insufflation exercises (inflate through your nose and exhale through your mouth).
Exercises for back pain
1.Tightening the abdomen
Lie on your back, with your knees bent, your hands on your neck, and your feet flat on the ground. Relax after taking a deep breath. Part of it was pressed on the floor, tightening the abdomen and buttocks. This movement can make the lower part of the pelvis rotate upwards and put it flat on the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and relax.
2. Hold Your Knee
After lying down, bend your knees, place your feet flat on the floor, and relax after taking a deep breath. Hold the knees with both hands, pull as close as possible to the chest, restore the original posture, straighten the feet, and then return to the original posture. Repeat the action with the other foot.
3. Dog Pose
The suction process slowly back arch, the arch to the highest point, about 10 seconds dwell, the process of breathing slowly raised to the stomach, the projections come to stay for about 10 Seconds, at least 10 times a day.
4. Knees Bend
After lying down, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Bend one foot into the chest, then straighten the foot, return to the original posture and relax, and repeat the same movement with the other foot.
Note: This exercise is very effective for the relaxation of the sartorius muscle, but it is contraindicated for sciatica and intervertebral disc herniation.
5. Shoulder stretch
Lie down with your hands behind your back, pull your hands toward your feet and pull your shoulders back and down. Bring your shoulder blades closer, hold it for 2 seconds, then relax.
6. Stand upright
Grab the thumb of the other hand with one hand and place it behind you. Put your feet on your toes, stretch your hands down, and look up at the ceiling. Maintain this position for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat this number of actions every 2 hours.
7. Door Shank
Lean back on the door shank, with heels a few inches away from the door frame. Take a deep breath and relax. Leaning back against the door, retract abdomen and arms, knees slightly bent. This allows the lower part of the pelvis to rotate forward. Lean your neck against the door frame, push both hands to the other door frame, and then straighten your knees. Maintain this position for a few seconds, then relax.
Note: The eighth, ninth and tenth exercises can only be performed after the pain is no longer and the above exercises have been done for several weeks.
8. Legs Up
Lie on your back with your feet straight and your hands straight on your side. Take a deep breath and relax. A pair of feet to make the amount of lift up, then slow down. Repeat this action 5 times with each foot.
9. Chair Pose
Grab a chair or table, squat and bend your head forward, jump slightly upwards two or three times, and then return to an upright position.
10. Bends
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor to take a deep breath, then relax and gradually sit up, keeping your knees bent. Return to the original posture. Relaxation allows a person to hold the foot to assist in this exercise.
How to prevent back pain
There are many ways to prevent upper and lower back pain and to decrease the severity of symptoms as well.
Some prevention methods can be:
- Exercise the muscles of the abdomen and back
- Losing weight if you are overweight
- Lift objects correctly, bending the knees and not the back
- Maintain a correct posture
- Sleep on a firm, comfortable surface
- Sit in a correct posture
- Avoid high heels
- Stop smoking if you smoke, as nicotine degenerates the spinal discs and reduces blood flow
Who experiences back pain?
Risk factors for back pain include
Lifestyle: such as poor physical fitness, smoking, stress, anxiety, depression, etc.
Leisure activities: golf, tennis, gymnastics.
Occupation: must be regular Bend over, turn around, lift heavy objects, sit for a long time.
X-ray changes such as spine deformation, unstable lumbar spine stenosis, spinal joint disease.
Symptoms of back pain
- Pain in the muscles and noticeable tension
- Pain when moving and limited flexibility
- Difficulty getting up
- Tingling, numbness and paralysis
- Back stiffness
- General tiredness
Habits to avoid upper and lower back pain
- Don’t always sleep on the same side.
- In sedentary jobs, take short breaks to get up and stretch.
- Warm-up before doing hard work
- Wear low heels or change your shoes
- Pay attention to the carrying posture
- Take pillow under your knees while sleeping
- Take vitamin D and calcium
- Maintain the correct posture
- Do not sit or stand for a long time
Conclusion
Low back pain affects millions of people around the world, and the cost of diagnosis and treatment is difficult to estimate. Each patient has different modes of acute and chronic back pain. In addition to surgical treatment, there are various non-surgical treatment methods. Each choice has a curative effect, most of which are moderate effects, and most of them are ineffective or have no scientific evidence to show effectiveness.