Common Causes Of Back Pain

If you have lived long enough, you have probably encountered at least one memorable episode of back pain. 

It can be amusing to listen to the myriad remedies offered by friends and family for back pain. These remedies for back pain are often beliefs that are held to be absolutely true and therefore should be strictly adhered to. 

When a person has back pain and there is no immediate answer to the question why, they are often open to the opinions of those who have successfully resolved their own back problem. 

Seeking Answers And Misdiagnosis

When a person has no answer, they have what I call "answer hunger" and will eat any solution for their back pain offered to them. What I hear little of, are the questions that would lead to the right answer of what is the cause of the back pain. 

Skipping the cause of the back pain and going immediately to a solution can lead to treatments that often make the patient even worse. In the medical world, we call the process of finding the why of the problem "diagnosis." 

Skip this phase of patient care and you are headed for trouble.

Leading Causes Of Back Pain

Slipped Disc

One of the leading causes of back and neck pain is a bulging disc. Often referred to as a "slipped disc", this problem causes more back pain and suffering than all other back problems combined. 

There are many types of disc problems but they all pretty much emanate from the same problem, something has overloaded the soft center of the disc and the outer fibers that hold everything together become weak, leading to failure. 

Sciatica and Degenerative Joint Disease

This often rears it's ugly head in the form of back pain, buttock pain and leg pain, collectively commonly known as Sciatica. 

The lesser known "Degenerative Joint Disease" is also of great concern for patients. It often manifests as a stiff, sore or aching back that comes and goes. The condition progressively worsens and is affected by exertional activities. The patient who has this will often progress to a point where they are unwilling to bend over at all. 

They gradually loose the ability to do household chores, especially if it involves bending over or lifting. As minor back pain becomes part of daily life, the desire for activities gives way to resting and staying at home.

The insidious effect of degenerative joint disease includes weight gain and hormonal changes caused by lack of movement diminishes the general motivation and zest for life.

Preventing Back Pain

The sad part about DJD is that it is to a large extent, preventable.

Preventive chiropractic treatments along with stretching, exercises, and a good diet are the best guard against this great robber of vitality.

Warmest Regards,
Steve Smith - Your friendly, neighborhood Pasadena Chiropractor