What Are Some Complementary Alternative And Emerging Treatments For Lower Back Pain
In some cases, doctors suggest therapies that are not considered standard of care. They probably wont be covered by insurance, but they may be worth considering. Examples include:
Platelet-rich plasma . PRP treatments use a small sample of your own blood that has concentrated amounts of blood building blocks known as platelets. Your doctor then injects the PRP directly into a damaged disc. The theory is that PRP injections use your own healing system to accelerate improvement of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. PRP treatment has a longer track record in knee osteoarthritis, but a recent review article in the Journal of Spine Surgery suggests it may have a useful role for back pain, too. PRP needs a lot more research before it can be considered a proven technique.
Stem cells. In this emerging treatment, your doctor injects stem cells harvested from your hip into the intervertebral disc or discs causing your pain. Doing so may lessen pain and the degenerative effects of aging, though, like PRP, more research is needed before stem cells for lower back pain could eventually become the standard of care.
Acupuncture. Your doctor probably doesnt perform acupuncture , but may support you trying it as a complementary therapy. Acupuncture involves careful insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific points on your body. This may stimulate the release of your natural pain-killing chemicals.
When To Seek Treatment
Because omicron symptoms can be mistaken for the common cold or flu, doctors urge anyone experiencing them to isolate until symptoms subside.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided a list of emergency warning signs that need immediate emergency medical care:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
Anyone suffering from these symptoms is urged to call 911 or your local emergency facility.
Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have Covid, the CDC advised.
Signs Your Back Pain Might Be An Emergency
In our 20s and 30s, normal back pain often can be attributed to factors of daily life, such as sitting too long, picking up children, or overdoing it while exercising.
In our 40s and older, work injuries and the beginnings of arthritis and degenerative conditions are more common.
Back pain is so common, in fact, that many patients shrug off symptoms that might indicate a medical emergency.
Approximately 80% of adults will experience back pain in their lives, so its important to be able to identify the severity of your symptoms and track how long the pain lasts.
If back pain can be associated with a specific activity, such as lifting or twisting wrong, and the pain goes away within 72 hours after resting and applying ice, its usually nothing to worry about. However, if pain creeps on gradually, appears suddenly, or doesn’t go away, you might have a more serious condition.
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What Causes Degenerative Discs And Herniated Discs
Why is the lower back a target area for pain? “Generally speaking, the lower back is subject to a lot of mechanical stress and strain,â says Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. âThe reason is the weight of the upper body, which always puts loads on the lower back.”
Supporting all that upper body weight is the spine, which is made up of more than 30 small bones called vertebrae stacked one on top of the other. A spongy piece of cartilage, called a disc, sits between each vertebra. It acts as a shock absorber, preventing the bony vertebrae from grinding against one another.
With age, these cushioning discs gradually wear away and shrink, a condition known as degenerative disc disease. Discs can also tear or become injured. Sometimes the weakening of a disc can put pressure on its jelly-like center. Wisneski describes this process as similar to a bubble forming on your car’s tire.
“You hit a bump in the road, then all of a sudden that tire goes pop,” he says. In the case of your back, that pressure can lead to a herniated disc , in which the center of the disc bulges.
A herniated disc in the lower back can put pressure on the nerve that extends down the spinal column. This commonly causes pain to radiate to the buttocks and all the way down the leg. This condition is called sciatica.
How Is Lumbar Strain Treated
Treatment will depend on your symptoms, age, and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is.
Treatment may include:
- Ice packs or heat and compression applied to the back
- Exercises
- Stretching and strengthening exercises
- Learning how to use and wear appropriate protective equipment
Medicines, such as anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and spinal injections, may also be used to ease pain and inflammation.
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How To Relieve Back Pain
The following tips may help reduce your back pain and speed up your recovery:
- stay as active as possible and try to continue your daily activities this is 1 of the most important things you can do, as resting for long periods is likely to make the pain worse
- try exercises and stretches for back pain other activities such as walking, swimming, yoga and pilates may also be helpful
- take anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen remember to check the medicine is safe for you to take and ask a pharmacist if you’re not sure
- use hot or cold compression packs for short-term relief you can buy these from a pharmacy, or a hot water bottle or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth or towel will work just as well
Although it can be difficult, it helps if you stay optimistic and recognise that your pain should get better. People who manage to stay positive despite their pain tend to recover quicker.
Back pain usually gets better on its own within a few weeks or months and you may not need to see a doctor or other healthcare professional.
But it’s a good idea to get help if:
- the pain does not start to improve within a few weeks
- the pain stops you doing your day-to-day activities
- the pain is very severe or gets worse over time
- you’re worried about the pain or struggling to cope
If you see a GP they will ask about your symptoms, examine your back and discuss possible treatments.
They may refer you to a specialist doctor or a physiotherapist for further help.
Persistent Low Back Pain
Nonspecific low back pain is classed as chronic if it lasts for longer than six weeks. In some people it lasts for months, or even years. Symptoms may be constant. However, the more usual pattern is one in which symptoms follow an irregular course. That is, reasonably long periods of mild or moderate pain may be interrupted by bouts of more severe pain.
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What Causes Lumbar Strain
Injury can damage the tendons and muscles in the lower back. Pushing and pulling sports, such as weight lifting or football, can lead to a lumbar strain. In addition, sports that require sudden twisting of the lower back, such as in tennis, basketball, baseball, and golf, can lead to this injury.
Certain risk factors can increase the risk for this injury. The risk factors are:
- Severe lower back curvature
- Weak back or belly muscles
- Tight hamstrings
Vaccine Effectiveness & Omicron
Expert studies have shown that the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 is reduced by 90 percent or more among people who are fully vaccinated.
While there are breakthrough cases of Covid among people who are vaccinated, they are rare.
In the event of a breakthrough case, victims are highly unlikely to be hospitalized with severe or deadly symptoms from the virus.
Health officials have advised that the Omicron variant is more infectious and could lead to further breakthrough cases.
Yet the spread can be offset by all vaccinated Americans receiving a booster shot.
Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.
With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
Studies have also shown that side effects from the vaccine are extremely rare.
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How Is Lower Back Pain Diagnosed
Your provider will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam. To check for broken bones or other damage, your provider may order imaging studies. These studies help your provider see clear pictures of your vertebrae, disks, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Your provider may order:
- Spine X-ray, which uses radiation to produce images of bones.
- MRI, which uses a magnet and radio waves to create pictures of bones, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues.
- CT scan, which uses X-rays and a computer to create 3D images of bones and soft tissues.
-
Electromyography to test nerves and muscles and check for neuropathy , which can cause tingling or numbness in your legs.
Depending on the cause of pain, your provider may also order blood tests or urine tests. Blood tests can detect genetic markers for some conditions that cause back pain . Urine tests check for kidney stones, which cause pain in the flank .
When To See A Physician
Mild symptoms may go away on their own, however, there are others that require an immediate visit to your physician or gynecologist.
If you experience any of the following along with pelvic or back pain, visit your health center as soon as possible.
Prolonged pain
Pain that lasts for over 24 hours, severe, stabbing, throbbing, or debilitating sensation that affects functionality, should be diagnosed and treated early on.
Unexplained weight loss
Food sensitivity, eating, drinking, or other underlying medical health issues can trigger sudden weight loss, changes in appetite, and pain.
Long-lasting constipation
Do you often feel bloated? Even after defecating? Does your lower abdomen feel very sensitive to touch? If yes, then go for a proper check-up and diagnosis.
Burning sensation
Chronic infections can cause a burning sensation when urinating, bloating. It can become quite debilitating and affect the womb if it is not treated on time.
Fever
Unexplained and irregular temperature, headaches, and fatigue that occur with pelvic and back pain should be explained to your physician for proper treatment.
Pelvic pain can be painful or mild, depending on the cause.
Do not self-medicate if you have a severe case of pain or infection. Always treat sexual partners as well to avoid recurrence of infections.
Follow all instructions given and go for regular check-ups.
References:
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Pelvic Pain And Back Pain In Women
Lower abdominal pain is often linked to areas below the belly button and very low down in the pelvis region.
It is usually also referred to as pelvic pain.
Pelvic pain and back pain affects women because of various causes.
It is often described as a sharp, dull, cramps or burning sensation that comes and goes or a continuous occurrence, as seen sometimes.
This ache can occur anywhere around the belly button and groin, right above the pubic bone, on one side, or as generalized pain.
Sometimes this pain is a sign that there is something wrong with the reproductive system or organs of the lower abdomen and pelvis, such as the rectum, urinary bladder, ovaries, and fallopian tube.
Or It could signify an underlying infection. Regardless of the cause, it is best to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
This condition is extremely common in women and known to affect at least one in six women during their lifetime.
A typical symptom of pelvic pain and back pain and discomfort may mimic one another or change.
This is because some causes of pelvic or lower abdominal pain may have similar signs, they may also co-occur separately or together.
For example, a woman might experience post-menstrual symptoms and have an infection.
These two conditions can have the same symptoms that mimic one another with little difference.
Symptoms may be frequent or occur intermittently.
Warning Over Five Unusual Covid Symptoms That You May Not Know Yet And When To Seek Emergency Treatment
- 17:34 ET, Jan 12 2022
EXPERTS are warning of unusual Covid symptoms and when to seek emergency treatment as the omicron variant continues to spread in the US.
While fever, cough, and shortness of breath are common signs of a possible coronavirus infection, other strange symptoms are being attributed to the virus.
Doctors say one of the first signs of the omicron variant in particular can be a scratchy throat, followed by headache and fatigue.
Though someone infected with Covid may not experience any of the following symptoms, it’s important to be aware that they could be signs of an infection.
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Back Pain Culprit: Chronic Conditions
Several chronic conditions can lead to low back pain.
- Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord, which can put pressure on the spinal nerves.
- Ankylosing spondylitis inflames the joints of the spine, and sometimes the shoulders, hips, ribs, and other areas too. It causes chronic back pain and stiffness. In serious cases, spinal vertebrae start to fuse .
- Fibromyalgia causes widespread muscle aches, including back pain.
This Could Be Because Omicron Affects The Body Differently
In December, Angelique Coetzee, a South African doctor and one of the first to report on Omicron, told MSNBC that she believes this symptom may be a result of the new variant attacking the musculoskeletal system to start with, impacting muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments with aches and pains. “People will tell us they went to bed last night they felt warm and cold during the night, body aches and pain, chest pain, or backache and fatiguethat’s Omicron,” she told the news outlet.
Top White House COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, also touched on how differently the new variant is manifesting in the body. A number of new studies have shown that the virus of Omicron spreads “very poorly in the lungs” and “has less pathogenicity in the lung,” he said during a Jan. 5 press briefing.
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How Long Does Lower Back Pain Usually Last
Lower back pain can be categorized as acute, subacute or chronic. Acute episodes of lower back pain usually last from a few days to 4 weeks and subacute lower back pain lasts between 4 to 12 weeks. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, about 20 percent of people with acute back pain go on to develop chronic back paindefined as pain that lasts 12 weeks or longer. Even in these cases, there are many different treatment options to help relieve lower back pain symptoms.
When your back is really killing you, you might worry something is seriously wrong. The same goes for back pain that seems unending. The good news is that while back pain is a major inconvenience, it is rarely an urgent medical issue. In fact, most of the time you dont have to treat it. Back pain usually resolves on its own unless you have a major underlying issue.
The Dangers Behind Lower Back Pain And Fever
Lower back pain is the most common reason stated for work-related absences. This type of pain will often have pronounced impact on overall performance and motivation. But because an achy back caused by occupational factors can often be resolved with a little rest, we tend to brush it off as a trivial problem.
But did you know that some cases of backache might require much more than a rest day? Those that come hand in hand with other symptoms of illness can be indicative of something far worse than just a typical case of a bad back. For instance, a fever coupled with back pain can spell a worlds worth of different conditions. Some of these might be easily remedied with medication and rest. Others could lead to potentially life-threatening complications in the long run.
If youve been having bouts of lower back pain that comes hand in hand with heightened body temperature, it might be time to act. Read on through to find out just what these symptoms might mean.
Of course, as always note that the information in this article is purely informative and should never be used in place of the advice of your treating physicians.
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Final Thoughts On Lower Back Pain After Drinking Alcohol
In summary, lower back pain in the morning after a heavy night of drinking is likely your kidneys. If you frequently drink in heavy quantities, you may need to take some time off.
If not, you run the risk of doing permanent damage to your kidneys. More often than not, simply rehydrating and abstaining from alcohol is all it takes to alleviate kidney pain. If it persists, however, youll need to visit a doctor.
Where Are The Kidneys Located And What Is Their Role
The kidneys are located in your lower back, just under your ribs. There is one on each side of your spine.
As we briefly touched on above, they are responsible for filtering your blood. Part of this is removing toxins, one of which is alcohol. If you drink frequently, or have a night where you binge drink, theyll have to work super hard to eliminate the poison you fed your body.
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