Back pain is one of the top five (5) symptoms that drives people to see a doctor. You can develop acute back pain from physical muscle strain, such as twisting. bending the wrong way of lifting something too heavy.
Back pain can occur or worsen with:
- job or personal stressors
- bad posture
- injury
- lack of exercise
- obesity
- smoking
What are my risks for back pain?
Women are more prone to arthritis of the spine as we age. As a result, women may suffer from back pain during their later years in particular. Arthritis in the spine can cause the nerves that leave your spine to be pinched. Therefore, you may have symptoms that cause:
- Pain
- Numbness
- Weakness in your legs
The medical term for symptoms caused by back nerve irritation is is radiculopathy (radical.0.pathy).Women in particularly loose calcium as they age, which cause spine bones to weaken and rub against each other. As a result spine disc bulging and conditions such as sciatica, which is a form of neuropathy can occur. If you have pain shooting down the leg from you lower back or hip, or weakness and numbness in your leg, that may be sciatica.
What’s my plan for back pain?
The good news is that most episodes of acute low back pain will improve over several weeks. However, if you have disabling back pain, you can manage it and recover your strength through stretching, strengthening your core (stomach) muscles and with daily exercise. These are important therapies to help manage and improve your persistent symptoms of low back pain. You should see your doctor if your back pain increases in level or spreads to other part of your body. In this case your doctor may send you for radiological studies.