Could an infection be causing your back pain?

Infections are rarely the main cause of back pain but they can aggravate already inflamed tissues. The infection may not start anywhere near your spine. Chronic infections of sinuses, adenoids, teeth, urinary tract and prostrate have all been identified as exacerbating joint pain.

 

The World Health Authority estimates that most adults in the civilised world have gum disease. Infected tissue from the gums can be reabsorbed into the circulation, from where it is carried to the back and irritates pain nerve endings.

 

So if you have a chronic infection, see a doctor before you see a chiropractor and get the infection cleared up

How useful is bed rest?

Time is a great healer, so they say. And rest can allow the body to make the best use of its powers of recuperation, but it can have side effects too.

 

Bed rest can be useful to relieve pressure of standing upright, on the discs and the postural muscles. The main risks are that rest leads quickly to muscle wasting, thus making your back more vulnerable to subsequent injury. It also hampers circulation, so slowing down the healing process and encouraging the formation of scar tissue. The latter is a particular problem because if joints are in use when the scar tissue forms, then it tends to form along the lines of stress in the area. At rest the new tissue forms haphazardly and can make connections between tissues that subsequently make joints stiff, restricted and painful.

 

Put simply, an injured back is best subjected to as much gentle, frequent movement as it can stand, while avoiding positions that aggravate the pain. Use pain as your guide. If you’re comfortable standing – stand – if you’re out of pain sitting – then it’s best to sit.

 

Take advice from a chiropractor on the best way to exercise your back.

The importance of exercise

Virtually all programmes to deal with long-term back pain will involve some form of exercise. Backs benefit from usage and a flexible spine is suppler to prevent injury, has more stamina to prevent pain from fatigue, and is better co-ordinated to prevent injuries from loss of balance. Movement also helps reduce muscle tension and increase blood flow to the area so minor injuries heal more quickly.

 

We all stiffen with age but most people become inflexible through lack of movement. One of the best counter points to stiffness is Hatha Yoga. There are many exercise programmes which very in their difficulty and which need to be used with care as the wrong exercise can make you back problems worse. Consult a professional like a chiropractor to find the right exercise programme for you.

The muscle that can cause back ache

A common but little known cause of back and leg pain is piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle runs between the sacrum and pelvis, and the top of your thigh bone, in close proximity to the sciatic nerve. In some people, the nerve runs through the piriformis and so can become compressed or stretched by the actions of the muscle, producing buttock and leg pain particularly when sitting. The piriformis is involved in movement of the upper leg and so how we stand and walk can cause the muscle to become strained or over contracted. If the cause of your pain is piriformis syndrome, it can be identified and addressed by a chiropractor. See a professional for self-help advice.

The truth about spinal deformities

A spine shaped like a letter ‘s’, and exaggerated curves to the upper or lower back, are all spinal deformities. Some are due to the way the spine has developed; others are the result of how we have learned to hold ourselves. All these deformities can increase the risk of back pain however they do not have to. Research has shown that spinal deformities due to posture are just as common in people without pain as those with.

 

Consider consulting a chiropractor to see if your postural tendencies can be reduced to give you relief from back pain.

Are your limbs the same length?

We are not symmetrical and we are not intended to be. As many as 30 per cent of people may have one leg that is longer than the other (usually the right leg). And differing leg lengths are twice as common in people with back pain as those without. This is because the difference throws the pelvis out of balance and the spine adopts a lateral curve to compensate and allow the person to walk upright.

Some people’s spines are flexible enough to handle the compensations and such people do not experience any pain until they reach their 60s and 70s, when the spine’s ability to adapt begins to break down. Other people pain from their teenage years, particularly when standing. There are steps that can be taken to help people with leg length discrepancies, including maintaining sufficient mobility in the spine and using heel lifts to correct the imbalance. However it is important to get a correct diagnosis first. If you think unequal leg lengths might be contributing to your back problem, see a chiropractor for a postural assessment.

The truth about ‘spondylosis’

Spondylosis is just a medical term for the changes that occur in most people’s spines as they age. The discs (the cartilage shock absorbers between the bones) thin and the joints of the spine develop extra bony spurs, called osteophytes. Many people will have some signs of spondylosis as early as their 20s and 30s. By the time people are over 60, spondylotic changes are so common they could be regarded as ‘normal’.  Research has shown that spondylosis is as common in people without back pain as it is in those with pain. So if you’ve been told you have back pain because of spondylosis, consider seeing a chiropractor to find out if the therapy can give you relief.

The truth about ‘slipped discs’

The treatment of back pain suffered a set back in the 1930s, when it was discovered that spinal nerve pain could be caused by pressure from a ‘prolapsed’ or ‘slipped’ disc. Since then, there has been a tendency to ascribe all severe back pain and sciatica (pain down the back of the leg) to a slipped disc.

Discs are the shock absorbers that are positioned between the bones of our spine and cushion the effect of standing upright. They do not slip as such but can be damaged to varying degrees either by trauma or by general wear and tear. Disc prolapses are relatively common and occasionaly they require surgery to remove the disc. However most cases are either not painless, or can be helped to resolve with chiropractic and self-help exercises and advice.

How your back reflects your stress levels

Just as our facial muscles reflect whether we are happy, sad, angry or afraid, our spinal muscles do too.  Think how four legged animals reflect their emotional stage through their posture. The dog hanging it’s head because it’s been caught doing something it shouldn’t; the cat arching its back and hissing in defiance. Think of sporting teams leaving the field after a closely-fought contest. The victors walk tall, the losers are stooped. Fear causes all our postural muscles to tense.  We are not always aware of these tensions however we talk about them. We say people who annoy us ‘put our backs up’; we refer to situations that frighten us as leaving us ‘scared stiff’.  Many chronic back and neck pains have their roots in psychological factors. If you think this applies to you, steps you can take include adopting a more relaxed approach to life, and indulging in regular exercise. A visit to a chiropractor may also help reassure you there’s nothing seriously wrong, and help you identify ways to help yourself through your pain.

You are what you wear on your feet

The feet and the back are intrinsically linked. If we bear our weight unevenly, this can transmit tensions all the way up the body. A painful toe can literally become a pain in the neck.

When women wear high heels for example, this has the effect of taking their weight backwards and flattening the lumbar curve. Therefore someone with a painful overly-arched back might benefit from wearing high heels whenever their daily activities allow them to.

Ill fitting shoes, too loose or too tight, and those win uneven wear can all contribute to the stumbles and slips that are the starting point for many back problems. A chiropractor or a podiatrist will be able to analyse your gait, and your foot position and stance when you move, and help advise you on the best footwear to help protect your back.