The Woes of Back Pain Part 2: causes and cures

Be sure to check out my previous article The Woes of Back Pain Part 1: my experience to read more about how I coped with my lower back pain problems.

Taken from googleimages

Background

Unsurprisingly, back pain is a slippery type of pain. It is hard for doctors to pinpoint the exact cause. Unless it has to do with a more serious problem. By more serious I mean appendicitis, a kidney infection, arthritis or osteoporosis. These are all more complex conditions that cause back pain as a "side effect", if you will.

For the rest of us it is a lot harder to diagnose as well as treat back pain. The good news is that if you are suffering from back pain you are most definitely not the only one. Apparently anywhere from 80%-90% of adults will experience some form of back pain!

The most common causes are muscular strains and ligamentous sprains.

Treatment

Back pain usually subsides in a few weeks so doctors typically recommend patience (I don't have any!) and an anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen) and/or muscle relaxing medication depending on the pain.

Your doctor should also give you a physical examination, ask you questions, and based on those will send you for tests.

I also experimented with heat to help soothe my pain. I filled up a hot water bottle and applied that to the sore area. I also slept with a pillow between my knees, stretched more, and incorporated exercises into my routine to strengthen my back. 

(Check out Fitness Tip: Easy Ways to Strengthen the Back for more help and Hatha Yoga for tips on stretching and relaxation.)

If you do find that you are suffering from back pain I would try rest first. Stop whatever activity you are doing that aggravated your back. Incoporate stretching and topical treatments to the pain. If that doesn't work, and the pain hasn't gotten better in a few weeks, then it's time to go see your doctor.

Other Treatment Methods

My back pain did not go away quickly. I suffered for about 2-3 months before I found relief. I'm not a person who likes taking medication so I would only take what I was prescribed when the pain wouldn't let me sleep. Instead I incorporated yoga into my routine, which truly worked miracles. I also looked up particular stretches that were best for the back.

Since my back pain was more of a strain based on overuse, stress, and other factors, I felt safe in taking this approach. If you do not have one of the aforementioned more serious ailments, and don't like to take medication, natural remedies like: yoga, massages, acupuncture, tai chi, and relaxation techniques can help.

I would like in the future to try acupuncture and will probably even visit a chiropractor for more tips on how to protect my back. 

The most important thing you can do is self care at home. If you do require medication be sure to see your doctor.

The Woes of Back Pain Part 1: my experience

Taken from googleimages

It happened to me March 9, 2011. I was on my motorcycle. I felt a twinge on the right side of my upper back, between the shoulder blades. I thought it was nothing until later that afternoon when I couldn't move! I could barely get up to go to the bathroom without experiencing excruciating pain. It only got worse from there. From test to test and pill to pill, I didn't find relief until the beginning of June! This two-part series aims to help you protect yourself. So read on.



DENIAL

At first I thought it was just a sore muscle so I stretched, continued light exercise and slept with a pillow under my knees. Just like all the advice on the internet suggests. It only made it worse. After stretching I would feel worse!

Going to the doctor was no help because they didn't tell me what I wanted to hear. I stated above that the pain started between the shoulder blades. However, it quickly moved on to my lower back where it remained. I had a right side (lateral), lower back pain for three months.

I, however, did not think it was back pain. 

When I was a student in England I got a kidney infection and had to be hospitalized. The pain I was experiencing in March, and the subsequent months, was very much like that pain. So I was convinced that I had a kidney infection. That was what was causing the back pain, in my opinion.

Medicated

It didn't help that my doctor here in Cordoba is less than content with her job. So she barely looked at me. She didn't ask me any questions and simply sent me for an x-ray of the back. I was fuming! I knew that I didn't have any spinal problems. But what could I do? 

My appointment wasn't until the next week but the pain got so bad that night that I had to be seen sooner. (Funnily, my back would hurt more at bedtime than during the day). My husband used some connections that his father had in the public health system and I was seen that week.

Long story short, nothing on the x-ray. So I was given a prescription for a painkiller (Ibuprofen--600mg) and a muscle relaxant (Myolastan--50mg). I took 1 Ibuprofen and half a Myolastan, in the morning, and 1 Iburprofen and a whole Myolastan, in the evening.

The muscle relaxant made me tripping big time! Good thing I wasn't operating any heavy machinery! It was strong stuff but it worked.

I wasn't satisfied though. I'm a person who doesn't like to take pills. Plus, this was not solving the problem, it was only treating it. Anyway, I was still convinved that I had something really serious.

Fed up!

I went back to the doctor and told her what she gave me, flat out, didn't work and that she needed to find another solution. So she asked me questions and performed some tests and told me it was back pain. 

It couldn't be a kidney infection she said. Not only did I not have any of the other symptoms (pain when you urinate, high temperature, abdominal pain), but also the pain in the back was not the same. It didn't hurt to touch, (which she proved by giving my back a good wack). My back only hurt when I moved. So that was not consistent with a kidney infection.

Whatever. I still didn't believe her but she refused to do anymore tests until I tried these other pills (Diclofenac sodium--100mg). I probably took one or two pills when the pain was just unbearable and I had no other choice. After re-reading the side effects I preferred to deal with the pain.

Lessons Learned

I have been pain free for at least a month or so now. Definitely since I began my hair journey so I'm happy! I have now accepted that what I suffered from was a form of lower back pain.

This wasn't a nagging pain. I would be in so much pain that I couldn't sleep, I couldn't move, it hurt when I breathed...it was serious. 

I think it was the result of a lot of things:

• Stress
• Not stretching properly
• Exercising more than I needed to
• Bad posture
• Sleeping on a horrible pillow
• Not drinking enough water

 

I still haven't solved the pillow problem. I plan to because I think it's incredibly important to sleep on a pillow that aligns your head with your spine. 

Stress affects the body in so many ways. Incorporating yoga into my life, and being aware that I need to relax, has helped me tremendously.

More than ever before I am aware of my body and how it feels. If I need to take it easy I do so. That's the most important lesson I've learned.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I discuss: 

1. Common causes of back pain
2. How to treat it
3. Back exercises I've incorporated into my exercise regimen.