Back Pain And Sciatica
When you consider that the human spine runs all the way from the neck into the pelvis, it's no wonder that most of us will experience back pain at one time or another. Exploring the spine helps us understand sciatica and other types of pain and how they can be managed.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that lasts more than six months and that cannot be relieved by medical or surgical care. Chronic pain often results from prior injury, from neuropathy, or sciatica.
The course of treatment for chronic pain will vary greatly depending on the individual, the cause of the pain, and his or her health care provider; however, many patients find relief in alternative forms of medicine. Medical marijuana, acupuncture, and hypnotherapy have all been proven to effectively treat chronic back pain.
Spinal Stenosis
Stenosis is a disease characterized by the narrowing of the spinal canal. Patients who suffer from stenosis may experience low back pain or pain in the buttocks, leg and thigh area when they stand or walk. Patients with severe stenosis may experience numbness and weakness in their legs. The pain usually improves when the patient sits or rests or changes position to alleviate the pressure on the spinal cord.
Stenosis is diagnosed using a CT scan and can be treated by surgery to widen the spinal canal.
Stiffness And Tightness Of The Back
A tight, stiff sensation in the muscles of the neck, back, arms, and legs, is one of the most common types of back pain complained of by the general population. These sensations are usually caused by changes in the muscles surrounding the afflicted area.
Most tight back muscles can be traced to poor posture, which is usually a result of weakness of the muscles surrounding the spine. The simplest thing patients who suffer from tight back muscles can do, and the thing that will have the greatest effect, is to exercise the abdominal muscles, the back muscles, and other muscles that make up the body's core. It takes strong muscles to support the back and the soft tissues of the stomach, breasts, and torso. Once these muscles are strengthened, the patient's posture improves and the symptoms of tight, stiff muscles disappear.
Sciatica
Sciatica is pain that begins in the hip or buttocks and continues all the way down the leg. The condition is thought to be caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. Most patients elect conservative treatment for sciatica: taking anti-inflammatory medications, limiting physical activity, and resting.
