Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives. Back pain is not a diagnosis -- it's a symptom of an underlying condition. Back pain is a common problem often caused by overusing or misusing the muscles of the back. Back pain can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause. Typical warning signs of a potentially life-threatening problem are bowel and/or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs.

Your Spine:

The bones of the spine are connected to one another by the discs at the front and by the facet joints at the back. The discs help to absorb the normal loads on the spine and, with the facet joints, give the spinal column its flexibility. The nerves of the spinal cord, which connect the brain to the rest of the body, run down a hollow channel in the spine (the spinal canal). Many muscle groups which are responsible for flexing, extending, and rotating the waist, as well as moving the lower extremities, attach to the lumbar spine through tendon insertions. The aorta and blood vessels that transport blood to and from the lower extremities pass in front of the lumbar spine into the abdomen and pelvis. The skin over the lumbar area is supplied by nerves that come from the roots of the lumbar spine.

If you are over weight:

If you are overweight you should consider a weight-reducing diet because of the extra strain that your weight puts on your leg joints and back. You will also be advised to stop smoking (as this may be an independent cause of back pain), so you should take extra care to prevent the weight gain that often follows.

Pregnancy:

Potential causes of back pain or discomfort during pregnancy include hormone changes. Hormones released during pregnancy allow ligaments in the pelvic area to soften and the joints to become looser in preparation for the birthing process of your baby; this shift in joints and loosening of ligaments may affect the support your back normally experiences.

Pain Relief:

Inversion therapy is useful for temporary back relief due to the traction method or spreading of the back vertebrae through (in this case) gravity. The best position for relief when your back hurts is to lie on your back on the floor with pillows under your knees, with your hips and knees bent and your feet on a chair, or just with your hips and knees bent.

Treatment:

Treatment options range from basic rest, ice or heat and gradually resuming activity to medication, exercise, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture and surgery. Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition, and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them.

Therapy:

Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. Cold compression therapy is advocated for a strained back or chronic back pain and is postulated to reduce pain and inflammation, especially after strenuous exercise such as golf, gardening, or lifting.

Exercise Solutions:

The evidence indicates that prescribing analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants and muscle relaxants is not the answer; nor is sending the patient for more physiotherapy or manipulative therapy. Many use treatments such as ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation and exercises. The body is built to maintain itself and is capable of much more than we generally realise. Unless you are injured or suffering from disease it will respond if you make the demands. Exercise is a way of telling it that you need those functions.