Low Back Pain

Low back affects 90% of Americans at some time in their lives. As many as 5% of Americans have back pain on any given day. As back pain may be a part of most of our lives, it is generally not debilitating. All of us have some activity that makes our backs sore. From gardening to athletics, activity that is out of our normal routines will force muscles to perform beyond their comfort zone. The activities that will make an individual’s back become painful will also change throughout life. Aging of the body and especially the degeneration of the intervertebral disc will decrease the body’s ability to tolerate specific activities. Even professional athletes will not be able to perform at the same level as they age. Most back pain will not lead you to becoming chronically disabled but can certainly alter your activity level for a short period of time.

Prevention is the key to long-term health of the spine. Getting into a generalized aerobic fitness program will keep the muscles and tendons flexible and strong in the lower back. Most fitness centers have excellent trainers that will be able to compose a fitness program to help with aerobic health. They should be able to design a program that will take into account any of your previous injuries and any medical problems. You should talk to your doctor if you have any major medical issues that affect your heart or lung capacity. Simple exercises for the back muscles may prevent most back pain. Fitness programs can also be designed for weight-loss. By decreasing your body weight, you will lessen the load on your back. Fewer pounds on your frame will also lead to less pressure on your discs as well as your hips, knees and ankles.

It has been shown that smokers have a higher percentage of back pain than non-smokers. Smoking cessation is also important to decreasing back pain in our population. Smoking decreases the oxygen levels in the blood which can damage the tissues that have less blood supply, which includes the discs in the spine.

For acute attacks of back pain, it is important to maintain as close to normal activity level as possible. In the past, physicians would tell patients with acute back pain to stay in bed for 3 days to allow the muscles in the back to rest. Further research has shown that muscle strains and sprains heal better with movement. Yes, you can overdo activity, so with a sore back, try to move as you would normally, but avoid activity or movements that are painful. This may leave you with very restricted movement for a few days, but the back pain should improve in 2-3 days.

Using over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications will also help to relieve the irritation of the muscles and tendons in the lower back. Inflammation in the muscle and tendon complex will lead to pain and muscular spasms. The muscular spasms lead to some of the most severe pain in the back. Ice packs will also be helpful in decreasing inflammation in the lower back muscles and tendons. Heat is best used to warm stiff muscles which will occur as the inflammation and swelling decrease. Most patients will not need stronger pain medications than the over-the-counter medications.

These methods will help with the typical back pain. If your back pain persists for more than a week despite activity modification, anti-inflammatories and stretching, you should be seen by your doctor.