Can Lower Back Pain Be Related To Weather
If you feel like your lower back pain worsens on days when its cold or the weather is changing, you are not imagining things. Back pain can indeed be related to barometric pressure and outdoor temperature. Changes in pressure can sometimes cause pain in arthritic joints, including the spine. Muscles and joints in general react to the environment, which can make them stiffer and more likely to suffer an injury.
Common Causes Of Sharp Stabbing Lower Left Side Pain In The Back
The most common causes of stabbing, sharp pain in the lower left side of the back include:
- An injury to structures along the spinal column such as facet joints or spinal discs
- Damage of soft tissue structures that support the spine such as the ligaments or muscles
- Conditions that affect internal organs such as the intestines, kidneys, or reproductive organs
Your Pain Extends To Other Body Parts
If you’re experiencing severe back pain that is coupled with pain in other areas such as shooting pain down your leg then you should see a doctor. This could be a sign that you have sciatica, a form of pain that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back and through the buttocks before branching down each leg. This condition usually results from a herniated disk. A doctor will be able to offer a variety of ways that you can relieve this pain.
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Multiple Sclerosis Spotlight: Early Diagnosis Better Treatments And Hope For Ms
Nearly 1 million adults in the U.S. are living with multiple sclerosis, and yet it remains a misunderstood and often misdiagnosed condition.
In summer 2021, actress Christina Applegate went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and a few years earlier fellow celebrity Selma Blair spoke about her MS struggles, raising awareness of this progressive neurological disease that affects the central nervous system specifically the brain and spinal cord.
Multiple sclerosis is considered an autoimmune condition, in which the bodys immune system attacks the protective myelin sheaths that cover a neurons nerve fibers, called axons. Normally, the axons transmit nervous system signals throughout the body at speeds up to 300 feet per second. But without the insulating protection of the myelin sheath, communication breaks down between your brain and the rest of your body.
This attack, called demyelination, damages the myelin sheath, resulting in myriad symptoms of varied severity.
MS symptoms
- Dizziness
- Problems using the bathroom
- Numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, typically occurring on one side of the body at a time
But innovations in diagnostic testing and medication therapy have made it possible for UT Southwestern MS experts in Dallas and Fort Worth to create personalized plans for our patients to achieve the best outcomes. Those plans are centered around a patients:
Exercise To Loosen Muscles
Although it may seem counterintuitive to exercise when lower back pain is causing you grief, the right kind of movement can help eliminate the discomfort. Its always important to consult your physician before you engage in exercise when you have pain, but this conversation is well worth having if youre suffering.
First, you should keep in mind that not all exercise is beneficial in combating back pain. Try to avoid toe-touch exercises and sit-ups, which may add to the stress on your spine instead of relieving it. Leg lifts are another exercise to stay away from when you are hurting. If your core is not strong, leg lifts could be too demanding on your body if youre already experiencing pain.
Several types of exercises can be useful when you need to relieve back pain. Partial crunches can aid in strengthening your core without applying too much pressure to the area. Slow and controlled wall-sit exercises may also be useful. Other repetitions to consider include bringing each knee to the chest in succession, pelvic tilts, and swimming.
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Burning Back Pain Prevention
Having sharp burning pain in the back region can be a distressing occurrence, but it can be prevented to a certain degree. Various exercises, avoiding potential back hurting hazards, and using common sense are all methods for good burning back pain prevention. However, it is a good idea to speak to a medical professional if your current back pain symptoms are not the result of some underlying condition. The following are some tips to help prevent you from developing burning back pain:
Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy
Some women experience pelvic pain during pregnancy. Pelvic pain can affect one or both sides of the lower back.
This pain may also affect the perineum or radiate to the thighs. It may worsen while walking, standing up, or rolling onto the side.
The following tips may help reduce pelvic pain during pregnancy:
- doing exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor
- stretching
- avoiding standing for too long
- getting plenty of rest
Women can also try applying ice or heat packs to help ease the pain. OTC acetaminophen is generally safe to take during pregnancy. However, it is advisable to speak to a doctor before taking any medications while pregnant.
Testicular torsion can cause back pain on the lower right side in males.
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What Is A Back Spasm
A back spasm is an involuntary contraction of the back muscles. Moving in a certain way may trigger a back spasm. More often than not, spasms happen because of muscle weakness, overuse, or injury.
Chronic back spasms may be the result of an underlying condition. If muscle spasms are particularly severe, they may stem from nerve irritation or damage.
Who Is At Risk For Ms
While much remains undiscovered about the causes of multiple sclerosis, we have identified several risk factors, including:
- Ethnicity: Caucasians, especially of Northern European descent, have the highest risk of developing MS.
- Family history: Patients who have a parent or sibling with MS are at increased risk of developing the disease.
- Climate: MS appears to be more prevalent in temperate climates, including the northern U.S. and Canada.
- Infection: Some viral infections, including human herpes virus 6 and the Epstein-Barr virus , are associated with MS.
- Smoking: Smokers who have one MS symptom-signaling attack are more likely to have another.
- Vitamin D: Low exposure to sunlight and low vitamin D levels are associated with a greater risk of MS.
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Acute Vs Chronic Pain
Within the categories of nociceptive and neuropathic pain, pain can be further broken down into acute and chronic pain, which differ greatly in form and function:
- With acute pain, the severity of pain is tied to the level of tissue damage. The body has a protective reflex to avoid this kind of pain: the reflex to pull back quickly after touching a sharp object. Acute pain is a sign of injured or diseased tissue when the underlying problem is cured, the pain goes away. Acute pain is a form of nociceptive pain.
Back Problems That Cause Leg Pain
Almost everyone at some point in their life develops lower back pain. This part of your back includes your lumbar spine, which is responsible for supporting much of your upper body weight.
Aging and the stress of your body weight leads to degeneration of the components that make up your spine, including the discs, ligaments, cartilage, and vertebrae. These degenerative changes are often the source of lower back pain, as well as your leg pain. Back problems that cause leg pain include:
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Treating Worrying Back Pain Naturally: Simple Tips For Back Pain
Though there are a host of factors that can result in lower back pain on either sides, it is essential to get yourself thoroughly investigated to identify the causative factor and take the appropriate treatment.
- Local application of ginger essential oil or lavender essential oil is very helpful to relieve pain which is associated with muscle spasms, pain during pregnancy and pain due to sciatica. Warm fomentation would also be helpful, especially in cases of mild to moderate discomfort
- Drinking cranberry juice is helpful in management of renal disorders which can result in back pain. Cranberry juice is useful not only in treating urinary tract infections but also helps in the removal of urethral stones
Is It Sciatica Pain
Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve in your spine becomes irritated and causes pain. Because this extra-long nerve extends down your legs, it can cause pain anywhere from the lower back to the toes. Pain can be mild or severe.
Its typically a symptom of something else. A herniated disc, for example, can cause sciatic nerve compression or inflammation. Its also one of the most common reasons for this type of radiating nerve pain. Other conditions that may cause sciatica include:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Blood tests
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Types Of Low Back Pain
If your back pain is short-term — meaning it lasts a few days or a few weeks — doctors call it âacute.â If it has gone on for 3 months or more, itâs considered chronic.
You may hear the term âmechanicalâ low back pain. That means the problem involves the moving parts of your back — disks, vertebrae, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
Other names for low back pain include lumbar syndrome and lumbago.
How your back pain feels can vary. You might describe yours as:
- Aching
It may also radiate down into your butt, hips, or thighs.
Being Diagnosed With Venous Hypertension/insufficiencies
If your legs are tired, throbbing and painful, make a GP practice appointment. You may be given an appointment to see the nurse rather than the doctor as the nurses are also responsible for caring for patients with issues with their legs. Alternatively, there might be a Leg Club or a specialized leg clinic in your city. You dont need to be referred to your GP to access these clinics.
If you see a nurse or a doctor, they should:
- Ask about your symptoms and how long youve had issues
- Take a look at your lower legs
- A basic test called a Doppler ultrasound may also be provided. This test tests the blood pressure in your ankle and compares it to the pressure in your arm to see if you have issues with the blood supply in your lower leg.
You may also be given several extra tests to check for other health conditions that may affect your legs, such as diabetes and anemia. If your GP practice believes that your discomfort is caused by problems with your veins or arteries, you could be referred for further testing at your local hospital or clinic.
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Who Should I See For Lower Back Pain
Your primary care physician knows you best and should be your first contact for lower back pain. If he or she is unable to diagnose or treat the issue, you may get referred to a specialist, such as a rehabilitation physician . These specialists practice a comprehensive approach to lower back pain, and can diagnose and treat a variety of conditions that have lower back pain as a symptom.
Later, you may get referred to a physical therapist, a chiropractor or another practitioner depending on the nature of your back pain. The good news is that surgery is rarely needed for lower back pain. Only about one in ten patients needs lower back surgery, Chhatre says.
What Procedures And Tests Diagnose Kidney Diseases
The doctor usually will do a history and physical examination. Initial tests usually consist of a complete blood count , kidney function , and urine test, and when appropriate, a pregnancy test. A lacerated kidney may be suspected if the person has experienced a traumatic injury to the lower back.
If kidney stones are suspected, a CT exam or renal ultrasound is done an abdominal X-ray may be ordered but has been replaced in general by ultrasound and CT. As patients with kidney stones often need repeat X-ray studies or have repeat episodes of kidney stones, ultrasound with its lack of radiation is a good study to consider. Abdominal/pelvic CTs with contrast or magnetic resonance imaging and aortogram may be ordered to further define or differentiate underlying kidney and nonrenal causes of flank pain. Such studies are routinely performed if a kidney is suspected to be damaged by a traumatic event .
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Common Causes Of Chronic Lower Back Pain
“Chronic lower back pain is less likely to be caused by injury to your muscles and ligaments and more likely to be due to issues with the lumbar disks, nerves, joints or vertebrae,” says Dr. Palmer. “There are several potential causes of chronic pain in the lower back.”
In general, osteoarthritis and degenerative disk disease are the underlying cause of many types of chronic lower back pain. However, lower back pain can also be caused by accident-related trauma and acute stress.
Persistent And Unremitting Back Pain
Unremitting pain typically raises the same fear in patients and care-givers a concern for cancer. Back pain is the presenting symptom in most patients with cancer that has moved into the spine. Patients who already know they have a cancerous condition should alert their doctors to order specific imaging studies without delay.
Patients with spinal cancer usually experience a different kind of pain from that in common back and neck injuries. Ordinary back pain is usually related to activity, relieved by rest and is often associated with a recognized lifting or physical injury. It may seem to linger forever, but in reality, it typically begins to get better after about four to six weeks of rest.
Instead of getting better with rest, pain caused by a spinal tumor is persistent, progressively getting more intense over time, and is not relieved by rest. Pain may actually feel worse at night, and feel a bit better when you are up and around. Thoracic back pain may be associated with belt-like burning pain around the torso, and lower back pain may be accompanied by symptoms of pain or weakness in the legs similar to what we see in a disc herniation.
Since the most common cause of a spinal cancer is a metastasis from cancers of the lungs, breasts, prostate, kidneys, colon and thyroid, these organs should be thoroughly checked by your doctor when cancer is suspected.
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When To Worry About Low Back Pain
The bark of low back pain is usually much worse than its bite. The pain almost always makes it seem worse than it is.
MRI and x-ray for low back pain are surprisingly useless, because things like herniated discs arent actually that big a deal,1 most back pain goes away on its own,2 and trigger points are common and can be alarmingly intense but arent dangerous. Most patients are much better off when they feel confident about these things. The power of justified, rational confidence is huge.
Tailoring Ms Treatments To Patients Symptoms
In 1993, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first RRMS medication. The interferon beta-1b injection limited the immune response in the brain, reducing demyelination. Since then, we have found many more options to treat all forms of MS.
Ten more injection medications were developed from 1993-2010. Fifteen more have hit the market since, including infusions and oral pills. The first FDA-approved medication for PPMS, Ocrevus, was developed in 2017. The drug targets and destroys immune system B-cells that malfunction in patients with MS, and it has been shown to prevent the formation of new lesions.
At UT Southwestern, our MS experts personalize medication plans for each patient and every year, we evaluate patients to determine whether new lesions have grown and if their medication is still working as expected. In addition, our patients work with our multidisciplinary team to learn how to navigate challenges with nutrition, exercise, and assistance devices, if needed.
Education is the key to living with MS. The UT Southwestern Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Clinic collaborates with the National MS Society to educate and support patients and their families through advocacy, treatment, and research.
We also offer a four-week, referral-based support group to help patients manage and mitigate cognitive issues associated with MS. Call or for more information.
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Lower Back Muscle Strain Symptoms
Common symptoms of a pulled back muscle include localized lower back pain, stiffness, tenderness, and muscle spasms. See Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Most cases of low back muscle strain start to abate within a couple of hours or days and do not lead to long-term problems. If pain has continued for more than a week or two, or if it is severe enough to disrupt daily activities, seeking medical attention is warranted.
Healthcare Recommendations On Venous Hypertension/insufficiency
Making healthy lifestyle changes can help to reduce the symptoms of tired, throbbing, sore legs:
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Taking light to moderate exercise, such as swimming or walking for approximately 30 minutes at least three days a week.
- Stop standing here for a long time
- Wear compression socks or tights instead of regular socks or tights.
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Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain
The symptoms of lower back pain can vary from person to person. It may come on suddenly, perhaps after youve lifted something heavy or moved in a way thats hurt your back. Or it may come on gradually over time or for no apparent reason. The pain can be mild or severe. Some people also have pain in the buttock or down one leg, sometimes as far as the calf or the toes. This is called sciatica.
Most people with back pain symptoms have whats called non-specific back pain. This means theres no clear or specific cause . It means that often tests cant really help because no specific damage to the spine or muscles around it would show up on them. This might sound unsettling, but it means that theres no serious cause for the pain.
