Low Back Pain Acute & Chronic
The most common of all the types of back pain is that of lower back pain.
As with any type of pain there are two different types (and low back pain is no exception): acute and chronic.
Acute low back pain is usually a problem that can work itself out over a period of time.
Chronic low back pain, however, can be responsible for aches and pains that last throughout your lifetime and it is the chronic back pain that lessens the quality of life for anyone who suffers from it.
In this article, we'll address the problems that are posed by acute back pain as well as chronic low back pain and we'll discuss some methods of getting rid of the pain.
Low back pain is one of the most commonly occurring medical conditions that send even the toughest among us to our doctor's office. Statistically, you have a very good chance at some point in your life suffering from some sort of lower back pain. In fact, this condition is responsible for more sick leave and/or time away from work than any other condition.
The causes of acute low back pain are often very different than the causes of chronic low back pain.
Acute low back pain (as with any type of acute pain) is usually caused by a single event or circumstance that is easily remembered and described by the afflicted.
Situations such as accidents, heavy lifting, or falling can result in acute back pain because of the trauma that incident places upon a particular part of the body.
With acute back pain, more often than not, it can be solved through physical therapy, massage, or some other type of healing process over a period of time.
Chronic back pain, on the other hand, is quite a different story. It is most often the result of long-term degeneration of the bones that make up the very foundation. There are several degenerative causes can be the reasons that one experiences chronic low back pain.
The discs that make up the spine can become herniated. This will cause rather intense chronic back pain. Many times this type of case tends to last throughout the life of an individual even though the effects on one's quality of life can be lessened via chiropractic visits, therapy and possibly even surgery.
When it comes to diagnosing a case of chronic low back pain, and assessing its severity, doctors can make use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to determine the extent of the damage. By evaluating the results of the MRI, physicians can better diagnose what it is that is cause of the back pain. This gives your doctor a much better idea of what type of treatment to engage in and what you can do to prevent the pain from occurring in the future.
The list of reasons that any one individual is experiencing lower back pain, and getting magnetic resonance imaging performed is very important when it comes to pinning down the problem.
Beyond the various types of physical therapies, anti-inflammatory drugs or pain medications may be prescribed by your doctor to help reduce swelling and pain. In the more serious of cases in which the discs of the back are out of alignment or bulging, surgery may be necessary in order relieve or get the pain and discomfort under control.
