Diagnosing Back Injury and Pain
Understanding Causes of Back and Spine Injuries, Pain and Aches
Jun 27, 2009
Back injuries, aches and pain are a common side effect of many automobile, sport and work-related accidents as well as wear and tear from daily activity – and non-activity. Understanding the structure of the back and spine as well as the causes of back ailments is key in preventing and treating pain and injury.
Causes of Your Aching Back
Areas of the spine that have the most freedom of movement, the cervical and lumbar regions, are very susceptible to back pain. A common cause is a spasm or uncontrolled movement, of a muscle, or group of muscles. Something as simple as an awkward bending or twisting motion of the back can lead to a spasm which causes a muscle to lock. This can result in mild discomfort and stiffness to severe, radiating pain. Back muscle strain and pain can also occur from incorrectly lifting a heavy object without bending your knees or sitting or standing in one position for too long.
Obesity and Back Pain
Excessive abdominal body weight, incorrect posture, and poor exercise and nutritional habits can also cause strain on back muscles, ligaments as well as the vertebrae and discs of the spinal column. Spinal disc degeneration can also occur naturally due to aging. Vertebral discs are moist, like a water-filled sponge, providing flexible and smooth movement to the spine. Due to injury, wear and tear or age, the discs can begin to lose this fluid and become stiffer causing disc degeneration. You may have noticed that elderly people appear to ‘shrink’ slightly; disc degeneration can shrink the spaces between the vertebrae somewhat as the fluid is lost.
What is a Slipped Disc?
As the discs and other vertebrae joints weaken with age and wear and tear, vertebrae slowly slide on each other causing narrowing of the spinal canal. This slippage of the vertebrae is called spondylolisthesis and the narrowing of the spinal canal is known as spinal stenosis.
Both of these conditions cause severe back pain, leg pain, numbness, and weakness as more pressure is applied on the nerves in the spinal canal. Spinal degeneration can be especially rapid in individuals with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
A disc herniation or disc extrusion occurs when a tear of the annulus fibrosis portion of a disc spills out the central nuclear pulposus due to injury or degeneration. When the disc bulge or herniation pushes on a nerve in the back, it can lead to intense leg pain, numbness and weakness called sciatia.
As the vertebral disc degenerates further, bone from the vertebrae above and below can grow around it into the empty space left behind. This new bone growth is known as a spur. If the bone spur gets large enough, it may put pressure on the nerves in the spinal cord causing pain, numbness and weakness down the legs and other areas of the body.
It is important to understand the structure of the spine and back to prevent back pain. 75% of back injuries are preventable with the proper care. Talk to your doctor about preventing and treating back pain and aches.
