Back pain and injuries

Have you been experiencing back pain? This is one of the most common forms of pain suffered by people today.

In order to feel better, you need to be to the bottom of why you are feeling the pain. Read on to discover more about three of the most common causes of back pain.

SCIATICA

Sciatica is a condition where the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated, which can cause an excruciating amount of pain. If you have sciatica you may often experience back pain, yet it can also impact the legs, buttock and the feet because the sciatic nerve runs from the back of the pelvis, through the buttocks and down to the feet.

The causes vary extensively, with one of the main causes being a slipped disc in the lower back, yet irritation caused to any part of the sciatic nerve can result in symptoms that include pins and needles, weakness and pain in the back and down the back of the legs, which gets worse when lifting, bending and sitting.

SCOLIOSIS

This is a medical condition whereby the individual’s spine has a sideways curve. This can either be ‘C’ or ‘S’ shaped. In some cases, the curve gets worse over time, in others, it remains stable. Seeking scoliosis treatment is pivotal to ensure it does not get worse, as bad cases can cause problems, for example, interfering with breathing. Cases of mild scoliosis do not tend to cause any such issues.

DISC BULGE

A lot of people mistakenly think that a bulging disc is another term for a herniated disk, yet this is not the case, as there is one key difference and this is the fact that the disc does not rupture; with a herniated disc a crack occurs in the disc’s outer layer, but that doesn’t happen with a bulging disc.

Not all bulging discs are of serious concern, and a lot of the time people won’t feel any pain so they won’t notice that they suffer from one. But, there are instances when a bulging disc causes the spinal canal to narrow, and this is when it becomes a concern and needs to be treated.

There are several different causes of bulging discs, with a lot of patients experiencing this condition as a normal part of the aging process, yet others suffering because of misuse or overuse. Symptoms vary too, and they are dependent on where in the spine the bulging disc is place. If you have a bulging disc in your cervical spine, you may experience deep pain in your shoulder blade, pain when moving your neck as well as pain that radiates to your arm. A bulging disc in your thoracic spine can cause increased reflexes in your legs, muscle tingling, numbness or weakness in the legs, changes in bowel functions and in extreme cases it can cause paralysis from the waist down.

*this is a collaborative post *

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