1. Going under the knife. In only 2% of cases where people
have pain, is surgery necessary. Physiotherapists, chiropractors and doctors
can often sort out backaches. Surgery is sometimes necessary when back pain is relentless
or the patient is experiencing nerve compression or incontinence.
2. The lowdown on pain. Most people have lower back pain.
This is because the lower back bears the weight of the upper body. It also
twists and bends more than the upper back.
3. Bending over backwards. The spine consists of 33 bony
segments, the vertebrae. The discs lie between these. They are tough and spongy
and work as shock absorbers, and give the spine flexibility - the spine can in
fact bend far enough to form two-thirds of a circle.
4. Slipping up? If your pain started after a trivial
movement, such as picking up a book from the floor, you could have a slipped
disc or a joint problem in your spine.
5. Branching out. Nerves from the spinal cord branch out and
leave the spine through spaces between the vertebrae at the levels of the
discs.
6. Not tonight, dear. I have a backache. Backache is second
only to headaches as the most common location of pain.
7. Sitting ducks. Many people who often have back pain,
either lead inactive sedentary lives, or have inherited a genetic
susceptibility to back pain.
8. They don't call them stones for nothing. Severe
intermittent pain that goes down to your groin, could indicate that you have
kidney stones.
9. Not such good vibrations. Vibration often causes back
problems, which is why truck drivers often have backache.
10. You've got lots of company. In any two-week period of
time, between 25 - 33% of all adults get some form of back
pain.
11. Tilt that angle. Cyclists often experience pain, which
can often be rectified by adjusting the angle of the bicycle seat.
12. Down on all fours. Back pain became a part of life when
humans started walking upright, rather than on all fours. The vertebrae were
never really designed to deal with walking upright.
13. Right down the middle. Pain in the middle of your back,
which becomes worse after eating, could indicate a stomach ulcer.
14. The centre of it all. The spine, for all intents and
purposes, is like central scaffolding for the rest of the body. The skull, the
ribs, the pelvis and the limbs are attached to it.
15. So why does this happen? In about 85% of acute pain
cases, the exact cause cannot be identified.
16. Neighbouring organs problematic? Pain can also be the
result of abscesses, blood clots or tumours in other organs near the spine.
17. Try this for strength. The spine is so strong that it
can withstand the pressure of hundreds of kilograms.
18. All on its own. Eighty to 90% of back
pain treatments resolve itself within a month to six weeks.
19. Help or hindrance? Prolonged use of back braces and
supports can actually weaken the muscles in your back, thereby contributing to
the problem.
