Having discussed modern research that has been going on in treating back pain in the past issues, now the broader picture of back pain in men and women, various causes, treatment modalities, medical, surgical, and home remedies are being narrated in the current episode.
In women:
Endometriosis can cause pain in the lower back, belly, and pelvic area. There can be painful menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding during periods, spotting between periods, and pain during sex. Uterine fibroids may cause lower back pain, stabbing pain in the belly, pain during intercourse, and heavy bleeding during periods.
Pregnancy and back pain
It is a common to experience back pain during pregnancy. This can range from mild to severe. On experiencing any pregnancy aches and pains which have to be intimated to the treating doctor so that suitable treatment will be planed.
Infections
Infections that may cause back pain include spinal epidural abscess, an infection in the space between the vertebrae and the outermost layer of meninges. Besides back pain, other symptoms like a fever, difficulty emptying the bladder or loss of the ability to control urination may be presented. Vertebral osteomyelitis, an infection of the bones in the spine that typically causes lower back pain that persists during resting. The affected bone(s) may also feel tender to the touch, with other symptoms like a fever.
Tumours
Spinal tumours cause deep, aching back pain that starts slowly and gradually increases. The pain may be dull, persistent even during resting and worse overnight. Some people complain of sharp, shooting pain that spreads from spine to arms, hips, legs or feet. It’s not always easy to tell the specific cause of back pain. Seeing a healthcare provider is the best way to learn what’s causing back pain and how to help it feel better.
Diagnosing the cause of back pain
A clinician will do a thorough physical exam and also review medical history and advice basing on the nature of the pain, imaging tests, like X-rays, MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT scans (computed tomography scans) Electromyography (EMG). Also, blood tests help to discover the possible causes for back pain and plan appropriate treatment.
Care and Treatment
For persistent pain, doctors might suggest muscle relaxants, stronger meds, injections, or therapies like acupuncture or yoga, though surgery is a last resort. Most back pain resolves, but persistent issues need medical evaluation. Back pain treatment depends on the cause and type (acute or chronic). The healthcare provider recommends suitable therapy.
Integrative medicine therapies, like acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, massage therapy or yoga therapy, osteopathic manipulation, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which is a type of pain relief therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to cope with severe or chronic pain Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented talk therapy that helps people identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours to better manage mental health conditions and life problems, focusing on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions to develop practical coping strategies for current issues like depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. It’s a widely-used, evidence-based approach.
Medications
Medication injections, like an epidural steroid injection (ESI) or a nerve block Muscle relaxers, like cyclobenzaprine, metaxalone or methocarbamol these medications require a prescription and have addiction potential, so closely to be monitored. Health care providers typically only prescribe the following medicines as a last resort when the benefits outweigh the risks, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, pain-relieving medications, like duloxetine (because opioids have strong addiction potential, Pain-killing gels for back pain work by delivering medicine (like NSAIDs such as diclofenac or natural ingredients like arnica) directly to the sore area, reducing inflammation and blocking pain signals for fast relief from muscle aches, sprains, and strains. Many ointments and gels are available, offering cooling or warming sensations with ingredients like menthol, methyl salicylate, and oils, providing localized, non-greasy relief for various back issues. Both chemical (like Diclofenac) and herbal options for fast relief from muscle and joint pain, indicating high demand driven by lifestyle issues, as the overall Indian pain relief market hits ₹16,000 crore.
Surgery
The spinal surgery (often minimally invasive) is to treat the underlying cause of pain. One has to keep in mind that a treatment that helped someone may not help everyone. This is because the effectiveness of certain treatments can vary widely according to the underlying cause of back pain. For example, an ESI injection is more likely to help a condition affecting the nerves (like a herniated disk or degenerative disk disease). But some people experience little or no relief. An ESI injection, or Epidural Steroid Injection, is a medical procedure where anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and a local anesthetic are injected into the epidural space around the spinal cord to relieve pain from irritated nerves, often caused by herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or bone spurs, offering relief for back, leg, or arm pain, guided by X-ray (fluoroscopy) for precision, it targets nerve root inflammation, providing pain relief that can last days to months, and differs from epidural anaesthesia for childbirth.
Back pain home treatment
Most injuries and conditions that cause back pain take some time to heal. There’s no quick and easy fix. Using a heating pad to ease pain and stiffness, using an ice pack to manage pain and swelling, and doing careful, purposeful movements (exercises and stretches for back pain include some yoga poses combined with deep breathing techniques).
In many cases, gentle movement can help more than bed rest. It depends on the cause of the back pain. The level of physical activity has to be decided by the clinician. When there is severe back pain that doesn’t improve after one week, and the pain worsens with sudden or severe weight loss, with additional symptoms like cloudy or bloody urine require a qualified neurologist or neurosurgeon or orthopaedic surgeon. During coughing, if there is chest and back pain that is increasing, it can be a sign of an infection like pneumonia or bronchitis. The following are the potential signs of serious issues that need quick treatment such as pain or spasms with fever nausea and vomiting, severe abdominal pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the arm(s) or leg(s) and muscle weakness including loss of the ability to control and fecal incontinence, urinary retention, problems to fully emptying the bladder, problems with walking, balance or coordination. When there is back pain, whether it is mild, moderate, or severe, one should not depend on treatments from unqualified people or massages. Timely intervention by a qualified expert would yield amazing results. (This article reproduced as sent by the author)
