Chronic Severe Lower Back Pain
March 27th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Chronic severe lower back pain can usually be felt in the lower back region and even right up to the upper legs and buttocks. Chronic severe lower back pain is most probably the hardest of back pains to diagnose. As a result, people suffering from chronic severe lower back pain face a very long and painful wait, countless tests and extensive therapy to fully recover and be somewhat pain free. So if you have ever felt a little twinge in your back only to wake up with a bit of a sore back, count yourself lucky, as you cannot start to understand the level of pain that people with this condition experience every day of their life.
Discussing The Distinction
There is one main distinction within chronic back pain that is caused by different factors. These factors play an important role in determining what type of back pain you might have, and how you should go about getting it treated.
The major distinction that must be made is between chronic back pain that occurs as the result of an unidentifiable pain generator, and chronic back pain that occurs as the result of an identifiable pain generator. While the first tends to be more difficult to treat, the latter is usually associated with structural spine conditions, such as degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis. With chronic back pain, an unidentifiable pain generator is usually the source.
Characteristics Of Constant Discomfort
Chronic back pain is both long lasting and recurring. Both factors are considered an unavoidable part of back pain. In order to be considered chronic, back pain usually has to last continuously for three to six months. Additionally, it is common for chronic back pain to keep coming back-even after it has been thought to be resolved! The recurrence of the pain is usually sporadic and unpredictable, and it varies highly from person to person.
A Doctor’s Diagnosis
As previously stated, most chronic severe lower back pain are caused by an unidentifiable cause making very difficult for an accurate diagnosis. This is also multiplied by that fact that different people have different ways of describing the pain and the exact location. Add the fact that the level of pain tolerance is quite different from one individual to another, and you have your self a very small chance to actually pinpoint the root of the problem. A good diagnosis is paramount if you are going to have any chance of nipping chronic severe lower back pain in the bud so work closely with your doctor. Your efforts will be well rewarded by a healthy and pain free back.
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Nagging Pain In The back Below The Shoulder Blade
March 20th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you have been experiencing pain in the back below the shoulder blade you are not alone. Eight out of ten adults will experience back-related pain at some stage of their lives. The pain will either be acute or chronic.
Acute Pain
* Lasts from a few days to a few weeks
* Responsive to rest and exercise
* Cause of the pain is not easily identifiable
Chronic back pain
* Lasts from a few months onward
* Pain is constant
* Periodically flares where the pain is worse
* Will settle back to the earlier, less intense, level of pain.
Treating the pain in the back below the shoulder blade
There are several things that can ease the pain in the back below the shoulder blade. First of all, rest. For a long time, the myth has been that bed rest was the answer to get rid of back pain. Sufferers would immediately go to bed, but the pain didn’t really go away. They would lay in one position for hours as it hurt too much to shift around. The pain in the back below the shoulder blade was not relieved, even if they lay on the opposite side from where the pain is coming from, or flat on their back.
Now, doctors have discovered that bed rest can be helpful for a day, or two at most. Beyond that, it will slow recovery, as the muscles are too likely to wither and loose strength. When the back, stomach, and leg muscles are weak, the body is more prone to muscle strains and sports injuries.
Heat therapy is often recommended for back pain. For some, using moist heat is best, such as a hot bath or spa. For others, they find that ice (cold therapy) feels better. Either is fine, so experiment with the pain in the back below the shoulder blade and see which works best in your case.
Beyond heat (or cold) therapy and rest, stretching and strengthening exercises can help immensely - both to relieve the pain now and to help the body avoid pain in the future. Start off gently, with stretching the muscles of the back, stomach, and legs. Once they are a bit warmed up, do some strengthening exercises so that they are better able to handle the everyday activities you like to do.
As far as medication goes, anti-inflammatory drugs like Acetaminophen can help reduce the pain and inflammation. However if the pain in the back below the shoulder blade remains, you should see your doctor who could prescribe stronger drugs such as muscle relaxants, narcotics, and injections of corticosteroids.
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Related Tags: acute back pain, back pain, chronic severe lower back pain, lower back pain, pain in the back below the shoulder blade
