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 center 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.
Neighboring 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.
