5 Causes of Back Pain
Back pain kills people every day. Ok, so back pain doesn’t really kill people, but it might as well! Every day, millions of Americans complain of back pain. According to Wikipedia, back pain is one of humanity’s most frequent complaints and was cited as being the fifth most common reason for all physician visits.
Common Causes of Back Pain
Some common things that cause back pain include:
- Arthritis
- Pulled muscles
- Stress
- Spinal disc herniation- a medical condition affecting the spine
- Spinal Stenosis- a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves (usually seen with aging)
In order to relieve back pain, you must first determine what is causing it. If it is something like stress that is causing you some discomfort, you’ll probably notice that the pain will go away after a couple of hours or a couple of days. However, if you start to notice that the pain is becoming chronic (lasting a month or longer), then it would probably be within your best interest to make an appointment with a specialist. We put our bodies under a lot of stress each and every day. If you’re an athlete, you probably know what it’s like to feel really sore or run down after a hard workout.
Some things that you can do to alleviate back pain includes:
- Heat- Try taking a shower or soaking in a warm bath of Epsom Salts.
- Acupuncture- Make a consultation first to see if this is the right approach for you.
- Physical Therapy/Stretching- Make an appointment to see a physical therapist who can help show you some effective stretching techniques, or do it yourself!
- Massage Therapy- Massage is a great way to relax; just make sure that the therapist is licensed!
- Chiropractor-Make a consultation appointment first to see if this is appropriate.
- Medication- There are many over the counter (OTC) drugs that claim to help alleviate pain- check with your local pharmacist to see.
For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact BCBSNC today!
[...] alone. One of the major complaints from Americans today is back pain. There are many causes of back pain, which aren’t limited to: arthritis, stress and pulled muscles. For example, if [...]
Back pain is a complex problem - there are many causes and many approaches to reduce pain and eradicate the causes. When in doubt, seek the assistance of an expert. Good article with good baseline information.