Back pains, Upper back pains, Shoulder Pains, Neck pains and Low Back pain (also known " lumbago") ![]()
It is usually from excess stress or lifestyle mismanagement....lack of healthy diet & lifestyle, stress. Rare causes are tumors, cancer or injury related
Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Chronic back pain persists for more than 3 months and may be progressive.
Most back pains, shoulder pains & neck pains resolve easily with following management, without spending unnecessarily. Pain relief Medicines Oil Massage + Pain-relieving gels like Brugel, Voveron etc Ice / Hot therapy Belts / Braces Exercises Healthy eating & Lifestyle HAPPY and positive attitude Weight reduction - BMI 20 - 24 Surgery only in severe unresolving problems, neurological deficit. Sometimes Target Joint / Bone / Muscle injections Treatment using pain relievers to reduce discomfort and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce inflammation. The goal of treatment is to restore proper function and strength to the back, and prevent recurrence of the injury. Medications, Gentle Oil massages, Pain gels are often helpful for short time in acute and chronic low back pain. Cold and hot compresses reduce pains and inflammation and allow greater mobility for some individuals. Rest and activity as per comfort.....Resume activities as soon as possible. Exercise strengthen muscles and positive outlook speeds up recovery. · When pain persists, further investigations such as Xrays, MRI scan and blood tests are advised.
Bed rest, Epidural steroid injections and target injections injections or surgery is recommended, in severe cases. Surgery may be needed if all methods fail and there is neurological deficit. ........fear stops people. 'Being active will make back pain better'
There is no place for total bed rest in back pain. Gradually increase the amount of activity you do, and try to avoid long periods of inactivity.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37305032 MYTH - 'A scan will show me exactly what is wrong' ..........In some cases, a scan will be necessary.
There may be physical reasons or psychological or even social factors at play. The key again, is to overcome the fear factor to avoid a person's condition worsening. Of course, I should point out that this advice is general in nature, will not apply to everyone and anyone who experiences back pain that lasts longer than six weeks is advised to see a physiotherapist or doctor. But if we can begin to knock down these myths, we can start to make inroads on a condition that affects millions of us every day. General measures to help treat osteoarthritis/spondylitisExerciseIf possible, exercise regularly.This helps to strengthen the muscles around affected joints, to keep you fit, and to maintain a good range joint movement.Speed walking for 1 hour, cycling, games are good for most joints, but any exercise is better than none.Many people can manage a regular walk.Weight control is mainly by diet control and balanced diet of salads and fruits with cooked food.![]()
If you are overweight, try to lose some weight as the extra burden placed on back, hips, and knees can make symptoms worse. Even a modest weight loss can make quite a difference. Wearing a belt or brace. These measures slightly alter the distribution of weight and pressure on the knee joint, which is why they are thought to ease symptoms in some cases. A podiatrist or physiotherapist can advise exactly how to use them. Daily walking for 30 to 45 minutes with or without Walking aids
If you severe pain, use a walking stick. This takes some pressure off the affected joint and helps to ease symptoms in some cases. Diet - Vitamins, minerals, calcium should be obtained from natural dietary resources and not by 'vitamin tablets/capsules' which can increase your risk of 'medicinal side-effects'. Fruits, Salads, green vegetables/leaves, Sprouts -500 grammes Curd/Yoghurt -250 grammes, Lemon juice with little salt/sugar. Water -5-6 lit per day or more, daily slow sustained yoga type physiotherapy exercises as given in website is essential for good health of bones and body.
Daily brisk/speed walking for 1 hour, getting enough vitamin D from your diet, sunlight will decrease your risk. Cycling outdoors and non-gym outdoor exercises such as brisk walking, using stairs at home and office, walk at work bring overall improvement in health, well being besides controlling and curing many diseases such as Hypertension, diabetes, depression, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, muscular pains and joint pains. Physical activity. Not exercising and being inactive or staying in bed for long periods can increase your risk. Smoking. Smokers harm their blood circulation, damage all tissues in body by free radicals of smoke and absorb less calcium from their diets. Medications. Some commonly used medicines can cause loss of bone mass. These include steroids used to control arthritis and asthma; some drugs used to treat seizures; some cancer drugs; and, too much thyroid hormone. Very Low body weight – are at greater risk for osteoporosis.Physiotherapy help if unable to follow correct exercises
Sometimes advice or treatment from a physiotherapist is helpful. For example:
Manipulation and stretching around affected joints may be helpful. This is something that physiotherapists may also be able to help with. Occupational therapy
An occupational therapist may be able to help if you need aids or modifications to your home to cope with any disability caused by OA. Special devices, such as tap turners to help with turning on a tap, may mean that you can carry out tasks around the house more easily. Other therapies
Medicines used to treat osteoarthritisParacetamol
Paracetamol is the common medicine used to treat OA. It often works well to ease pain. It is best to take it regularly to keep pain away, rather than 'now and again' when pain flares up. Anti-inflammatory painkillers
You may find that a topical preparation of an anti-inflammatory painkiller that you rub onto the skin over affected joints is helpful instead of, or in addition to, paracetamol tablets. This may be particularly helpful if you have knee or hand OA. Compared to anti-inflammatory tablets, the amount of the drug that gets into the bloodstream is much less with topical preparations, and there is less risk of side-effects (see below).
Tramadol
Constipation is a common side-effect from codeine. To help prevent constipation, have lots to drink and eat a high fibre diet. Topical gels / sprays / Capsaicin cream
This cream is made from chilli peppers and it works by blocking the nerve signals that send pain messages to the brain. It may be helpful if you have knee or hand OA. It takes a while for the effects of this cream to build up and may take around one month to get the maximum benefit. You should rub in a pea-sized amount of cream around the affected joint four times a day, and not more often than every four hours. An injection of antiinflammatory medicine
An injection directly into a joint is useful if a joint becomes badly painful / inflamed. Treatments that are not normally recommendedGlucosamine, cartilage regenerative drugs are Usually not helpful in long term as no reliable studies on them. besides they may affect liver function and kidneys.Hyaluronic acid
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has looked at the use of hyaluronic acid as a possible treatment for OA and does not recommend its use. This is because there is little evidence that it is effective. Chondroitin
no clear evidence from studies to show that it is an effective treatment. Surgery for osteoarthritis/spondylitis Most people with OA/spondylitis do not have it badly enough to need surgery.However, OA of a joint may become severe in some cases.Some joints can be replaced with artificial joints.Hip and knee replacement surgery has become a standard treatment for severe OA of these joints.Some other joints can also be replaced.What is the prognosis?
![]() Huge claims have been made for IF around enhanced weight loss, including improved mental functioning, a reduced risk of disease and even a longer life. So how does it work? There are a number of ways to approach IF depending on how often you decide to fast each week and how much you eat on fasting days. One of the most popular IF regimes is the 5:2 plan, where each week is made up of five days eating normally (preferably healthily) and two days fasting. The latter are not technically fasting days, as you're allowed to consume 600 calories on each day if you're a male and 500 calories if you're a female. The final rule is that the two fasting days should not be consecutive. Some practical tips and considerations You're obviously going to feel some degree of hunger and even some lack of energy on the fasting days, so you should carefully consider how this will affect your life. Fasting on days when you're busy can be a good idea so that you don't have too much time to think about eating. Exercising on a fasting day however is not advisable, as your energy levels will be lower and you're likely to feel even hungrier for the rest of the day. Stay hydrated on fasting days with plenty of water and fruit or herbal teas - this will prevent dehydration and help you to feel more full, as well as have a mild detoxifying effect. And finally, if you have any medical conditions whatsoever that may be affected by changes to your diet, then you should talk to your doctor GP first before starting. Non-specific Back Pain in Adults
This occurs in less than 1 in 20 cases of acute low back pain. Nerve root pain means that a nerve coming out from the spinal cord (the 'root' of the nerve) is irritated or pressed on. (Many people call this a 'trapped nerve'.) You feel pain along the course of the nerve. Therefore, you typically feel pain down a leg, sometimes as far as to the calf or foot. The pain in the leg or foot is often worse than the pain in the back. The irritation or pressure on the nerve may also cause pins and needles, numbness or weakness in part of a buttock, leg or foot. Cauda equina syndrome - rare, but an emergencyCauda equina syndrome is a particularly serious type of nerve root problem. This is a rare disorder where the nerves at the very bottom of the spinal cord are pressed on. This syndrome can cause low back pain plus: problems with bowel and bladder function (usually unable to pass urine), numbness in the 'saddle' area (around the anus), and weakness in one or both legs. This syndrome needs urgent treatment to preserve the nerves to the bladder and bowel from becoming permanently damaged. See a doctor immediately if you suspect cauda equina syndrome. Less common causes of low back painArthritis (inflammation of the joints) of the spine sometimes causes back pain. Osteoarthritis is the common form or arthritis and usually occurs in older people. Ankylosing spondylitis is another form of arthritis that can occur in young adults and causes pain and stiffness in the lower back. Rheumatoid arthritis may affect the spine, but you are likely to have other joints affected too. There are separate leaflets on each of these types of arthritis. The following advice and treatment is commonly given for a sudden 'acute' bout of non-specific low back pain. Exercise and keep goingContinue with normal activities as much as possible. This may not be possible at first if the pain is very bad. However, move around as soon as you are able, and get back into normal activities as soon as you can. As a rule, don't do anything that causes a lot of pain. However, you will have to accept some discomfort when you are trying to keep active. Setting a new goal each day may be a good idea. For example, walking around the house on one day, a walk to the shops the next, etc. MedicationIf you need painkillers, it is best to take them regularly. This is better than taking them 'now and again' just when the pain is very bad. If you take them regularly the pain is more likely to be eased for much of the time and enable you to exercise and keep active.
Other treatmentsHeat such as a hot bath may help to ease pain. What is the outlook (prognosis)Most of us (about 8 in 10 people) will have a bout of non-specific low back pain at some point in our life. The severity can vary. However, it is difficult to quote exact figures as to outlook. This is partly because it is so common and many people with back pain do not consult a doctor. Roughly, it is thought that:
However, once the pain has eased or gone it is common to have further bouts of pain (recurrences) from time to time in the future. Also, it is common to have minor pains 'on and off' for quite some time after an initial bad bout of pain. In a small number of cases the pain persists for several months or longer. This is called chronic back pain. Chronic (persistent) non-specific back painNon-specific back pain is classed as chronic (persistent) if it lasts longer than six weeks. In some people it lasts for months, or even years. Symptoms may be constant. However, the more usual pattern is where symptoms follow an irregular course. That is, reasonably long periods of mild or moderate pain may be interrupted by bouts of more severe pain. What is the treatment for chronic non-specific back painInitial treatment is similar to 'acute' attacks. That is, aim to keep as active as possible. Also, painkillers can help. In addition to the painkillers listed above, your doctor may advise a course of an antidepressant medicine in the 'tricyclic' group, for example, amitriptyline. Tricyclic antidepressants have other actions separate to their action on depression. They are used in a variety of painful conditions, including back pain.
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) may also be recommended as a treatment option. There is good evidence from research trials that it can help. CBT aims to help you to change the way that you think, feel and behave. It is used as a treatment for various health problems including various types of chronic pain. Can further bouts of back pain be prevented?Evidence suggests that the best way to prevent bouts of low back pain is simply to keep active, and to exercise regularly. This means general fitness exercise such as walking, running, swimming, etc. There is no firm evidence to say that any particular 'back strengthening' exercises are more useful to prevent back pain than simply keeping fit and active. It is also sensible to be 'back aware'. For example, do not lift objects when you are in an awkward twisting posture. Backcare (The National Back Pain Association)16 Elmtree Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 8ST The Back BookA reliable source of information. It is written by a team consisting of a GP, orthopaedic surgeon, physiotherapist, osteopath, and psychologist and provides comprehensive advice. Roland, M.O et al. (2002) The back book. London: The Stationary Office. References
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