Understanding Back Pain Back problems come in many different forms, neck pain, mid-back pain, low back pain, sciatica (pain down the leg), even numbness and tingling in the arms can be a result of a back issues.
The first and most important thing to remember is that the pain you are experiencing is NOT the problem.
Your are probably thinking "What is he talking about"? To understand back pain you need to recognize the difference between the signal and the cause.
Pain is the signal not the cause.
The best way to explain this is by relating to something familiar.
For example; imagine you are sitting in a restaurant eating dinner and the fire alarm goes off.
It is incredibly annoying and is interrupting your meal and the peaceful evening you were having.
You decide to eliminate the problem as you perceive it.
You grab a hammer, walk up to the fire alarm and smash it to bits.
Obviously the annoying sound that the alarm was making stops.
Problem solved, or so you thought.
You have solved nothing, but you think you did by eliminating the annoying sound.
The truth is the alarm is just a signal, a red flag, a symptom but it is NOT the cause.
The cause, in this case was the fire in the kitchen that triggered the alarm.
So putting out the fire would have been a better course of action.
By eliminating the cause (the fire) the symptom (the fire alarm) automatically goes away.
When you have back pain of any type, the pain you feel is just a signal warning you of a problem.
It doesn't always tell you where or how bad the problem is, or how long it's been there.
The true cause of the problem is possibly the disc bulge in your low back or the sprained muscle or the spinal misalignment (subluxation) that's restricting your motion.
But everyday people drown themselves in pain killers, giving themselves the illusion that they are well.
Now that you understand this relationship let's talk about types of back pain and how you can avoid the problem.
Types of Back Pain The Ray mine offers ample opportunity for the average employee to injure their back or neck as does life in general.
I want to share with you some important points about types of back pain.
Types of Back Pain 1) Muscle Strain/Sprain This is the most common type of back pain.
It is acquired from overuse or overexertion.
This is the classic muscle pull, but in the back.
The position you're in when you perform the work is the most important factor here.
2) Spinal Disc Injury This is caused by overexertion that in turn causes a spinal disc to bulge, which can put pressure on the nerves.
3) Spinal Misalignments (Subluxation) This is due to overexertion and overuse, as well as poor maintenance of your health.
This can lead to debilitating arthritis if not corrected.
What Can I Do To Avoid Back Pain and Treat It If I Already Have It? These are some great ways to avoid back pain as well as help decrease it if you are suffering from it already.
1) Have Good Situational Awareness I can't stress this enough.
Pay Attention To What You Are Doing! Many of the problems I see in my office could have been avoided if the patient only paid attention to how they were performing the task at hand.
Use proper lifting methods.
Ask for help if it is too much for you to handle on your own.
2) Stay or Get In Shape Let's face facts, if you are in poor shape you are WAY more likely to be injured or have a chronic back problem.
3) Eat Healthy Deficiencies in Vitamin D, Calcium and Potassium can cause muscle pain as well as other systemic issues.
4) Set Up Your Workplace Properly Setting up your work station properly can make a huge difference in avoiding injuries.
It's all about "ergonomics".
5) Stretching It doesn't matter what type of work you do, stretching can decrease your chance of injury significantly.
6) Drink Water Dehydrated muscles are easily torn and injured.
If you are thirsty then you are already dehydrating.
7) Chiropractic Chiropractic care helps restore normal motion and can eliminate many of the spinal problems that become chronic issues.