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by: Dr. Joshua
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What does your back pain mean?
Back pain happens to 8 out of 10 people. The most known is the lower back pain. Although it happens to so many people all over the world, in 90% of those cases, the cause is unknown. That is why doctors often classify back problems into three categories. The first one is acute back pain. This will last for less than 6 weeks. The second one is sub acute back pain. This will last for 6 weeks to 3 months. Then there is the third category, chronic back pain. This type will last longer than 3 months. In almost all of the cases, the acute and sub acute back pain (with the exception of hernia and arthritis) are the most favorable ones to have. It simply takes care of itself, and will get better with time. Chronic back pain, especially if this takes longer than 6 months, is the worst of the three. This will not pass with time, and pain management is needed in almost all cases.
When asked, a lot of the people that suffer from these types of pains will tell you
that not only their back, but also one or two of there legs feel stiff and uncomfortable.
When a lower back pain hits, many people are told that they need to take it easy and spend a week or so in bed. Sadly, this advise could not be more wrong.
It is a proven fact that staying horizontal for more than 1-2 days makes the pain worse and in turn, the recovery much longer. Why you may ask? When the back muscle is not used it becomes weak and this happens extremely fast. A weak back muscle will not be able to hold our body weight and thus we over use the muscle again, and yes, we are “back in pain”. The doctor that prescribes tons of drugs to keep the back pain at bay only makes things worse. A well balanced pain medication, and yes believe it or not, back exercise is the only treatment for a quick recovery for some back issues. Most times the exercise of the back muscle makes the muscle stronger and more flexible, and that will in turn take the pain away. So if you have acute lower back pain, don’t just lay in bed but get exercise. Ask your doctor about physical therapy you can do while laying down for the first couple of days, and after that, out of bed and back to walking and exercising that sore back.
And now, a few tips on avoiding some back pains. First of all, cover your back as a cold back is a sore back. Second, you could be built to win the mister universe contest, but back muscles are often undertrained, so keep in mind to lift any amount of weight the right way. Always warm up when doing exercises, and make sure you have a
cool down after your exercise. And lastly, using the right footwear can save your back.
About the Author
Dr. Joshua Cetex is author of this article on Ask a doctor. Find more information about Health forum here.
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