Back pain, know the cause until treatment is effective

When your back hurts, you certainly feel you can't move freely. Moreover, when back pain becomes more severe, even sitting or standing feels uncomfortable. Then, how to deal with one of the symptoms of this musculoskeletal disorder? Check out a complete explanation of back pain, its causes, and how to deal with it below.

Back pain, musculoskeletal disorders in the back area

Basically, back pain is a very common complaint of disorders of the musculoskeletal system. That is, many people have experienced it. In fact, you may have experienced back pain many times.

Pain in the back can be felt in the spine. However, it does not rule out the possibility of this condition spreading and being felt in the buttocks, to the back of the thighs and knees. This may depend on the severity.

Generally, back aches and pains are not caused by serious health problems and can go away on their own. It's just that, if you feel uncomfortable, there are also medications and treatments that you can do to overcome or just relieve the pain.

However, there are also some serious health conditions or problems that may be the cause of this disorder that attacks the skeletal system and muscle system. If you feel that your back pain is getting worse and doesn't go away, get your condition checked by a doctor.

Signs and symptoms of back pain

The symptoms of back pain depend on their severity. But common symptoms that usually appear include:

• A burning sensation or stabbing pain.
• Feels only at one point or feels all over the back.
• Appears suddenly or gets worse over time.
• The pain persists or goes away and comes back.
• Back pain is accompanied by muscle spasms and stiffness.
• The pain gets worse with activity or movement.

More serious conditions can be indicated by symptoms such as:

• Hands and feet feel weaker.
• Numb hands, feet, chest, or stomach.
• Losing control of the bladder so you can't hold yourself back when passing stool.

There are various causes of back pain

Actually, the causes of back pain can be started from things or habits that usually, without you knowing it, cause pain in the back area, including:

• Sprain.
• Bad posture.
• Rarely exercise, so that the spine becomes stiff and the muscles become weak

However, there are also serious causes of back pain. The following are some of the causes of back pain that should not go unnoticed:

1. Disc hernia

This condition occurs when the soft tissue that functions as a cushion in the spine has moved out of position so that it presses on the nerves around the spine. This condition can occur due to weakening of the bearings with age.

However, this condition can also occur due to excessive physical activity with the same movements. Usually, disc hernias occur in the lower back or neck.

2. Spinal stenosis

The cause of this back pain can occur when the spinal canal is narrowed. In certain cases, bone, ligaments, and disc tissue grow to reach the spinal canal and press on the nerves in the spinal canal.

The tissue can even irritate or injure the spinal canal itself. Spinal stenosis usually appears on the lower back or neck. In fact, this condition can occur in the upper or middle back, but it is relatively rare.

3. Spondylosis

As you age, the discs and ligaments in the spine weaken. This condition is medically known as spondylosis. This is actually quite natural, because it has become part of the aging process. However, that does not mean that everyone who experiences it will experience pain.

Unfortunately, under certain conditions, you may experience pain in your back as a result of this spinal degeneration. Therefore, keep your bones and muscles healthy, especially in the back area in order to reduce the impact of this spinal degeneration, one of which is back pain.

4. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that can cause pain in the back. The reason is, this condition causes damage to the cartilage which becomes a cushion for the spinal joints and various joints in the body.

This condition can cause the vertebrae to stick together and cause pain and damage to the bones. Back pain will also get worse if osteoarthritis has affected the hips or knees.

In fact, this condition can directly attack the spine, so that muscles, tendons, or ligaments become sprained and cause pain in the neck and back.

Apart from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylithis can also cause pain in the back area.

5. Scoliosis

Apart from kyphosis and lordosis, scoliosis is a common type of spinal disorder. Scoliosis is an abnormal curving of the spine to the side in an S-shaped shape which can cause pain in the back.

6. Osteoporosis

Bone loss or osteoporosis is a type of bone disease that can cause a decrease in bone density due to loss of calcium in the body. The more brittle bones, especially the spine, the more easily they break. This condition turns out to be more susceptible to women in old age.

If you only have osteoporosis, you may not be at risk of developing pain in the back area. Unfortunately, considering osteoporosis sufferers have a high risk of fractures, the risk of experiencing pain due to broken bones will also increase.

7. Spinal injuries and fractures

When you have a spinal fracture, you will usually experience trauma from a car accident, falls from a height, sports injuries or violent acts such as being shot or stabbed. This condition can cause a broken or fractured bone to feel painful and sore.

Meanwhile, you can also experience muscle injuries in the back that occur as a result of moving objects that are too heavy or making wrong movements. If you experience this, pain in the back area can last up to 2-3 days.

Usually, this condition will continue for days or weeks, even though the intensity has decreased. The pain will actually subside after approximately 2-4 weeks if the condition is not too severe.

However, on a more severe level, the pain you feel in your back can last up to 6-12 weeks. Especially if the injury causes the ligaments to stretch. If your condition is severe enough, you may need to be hospitalized or it will take longer to recover.

8. Stress

Stress can also cause muscle tension in the back. In fact, depression and excess anxiety can make pain even worse. This condition can cause muscle pain in the back area because when you feel stressed, you tend to avoid daily activities.

The limitation of movement and continuous activity causes physical muscle weakness which triggers back pain.

Treatment and treatment options for back pain

Similar to aches and pains, neck pain, back pain and various other movement system disorders, pain in the back area is also not classified as a dangerous condition and will heal on its own over time.

However, not everyone can bear to wait for the pain in the back to heal on its own. Therefore, you can practice some of the following types of remedies and treatments to treat back pain.

1. Use of drugs

If you feel that your back pain doesn't go away, there are several medicines you can use. One of the most widely consumed when experiencing pain is a pain reliever drug ornon-steroidal anti-infalmmatory drugs(NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, which can reduce back pain.

In addition, your doctor may also suggest using a muscle relaxant if the pain doesn't go away just by taking pain medication. However, this drug has side effects that can make you easily drowsy and dizzy.

You can also use pain relieving ointments that are applied to the sore back area. For conditions that are severe enough, your doctor may prescribe you opioids for short-term use.

Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, can also relieve chronic back pain that may result from stress and depression.

2. Physical therapy

According to John Hopkins Medicine, physical therapy is one of the best alternatives that can be done if you want to relieve pain in the back area. While undergoing this therapy, you will be accompanied by a physical therapist who will help you undergo physical exercise as part of your therapy.

Even so, the physical exercises undertaken by each individual can be so different, depending on the condition and the severity experienced. Usually, the physical exercises that are applied to you are adjusted to the symptoms and health conditions.

In addition, you will also be asked to continue doing physical therapy independently at home. Typically, physical exercise during therapy includes:

• Aerobic exercise.
• Exercises to strengthen the body.
• Exercise improves posture.
• Stretching and body flexibility exercises.
• Tests to determine the body's tolerance for pain.

3. Go through the surgical procedure

If it is at a severe level, you can also undergo surgical procedures to treat back pain. The doctor will recommend that you undergo a surgical procedure that suits your condition, severity, and symptoms.

4. Compress the area that feels sick

When the pain in the back muscles begins to appear, you should immediately apply a cold compress to reduce the occurrence of swelling. Don't forget not to put ice directly on your skin.

We recommend that you coat it with a towel. Apply about 10 to 20 minutes. After a few days, you can apply the compress with warm water.

5. Stay active in activities

One of the important things that can help with back pain is to keep moving and doing activities as usual. You may think that when you have back pain, get more rest. In fact, by staying active, you will recover faster from this condition.

It may seem difficult at first, but you don't need to give up quickly because the pain will gradually subside over time. While continuing to be active, you can also take pain relievers such as paracetamol.