Ouch!: an Introduction to the 4 most common types of back pain
At some stage in life, statistics tells us every single one of us will have some form of back pain. It could be as a result of injury or it could be as a result of other factors. Either way, for anyone experiencing chronic back pain, all they want is to be free of it as soon as possible. There are Chiropractic back treatments for back pain, but there may also be other options depending on the type of back pain you have.
Here are the 4 most common types of back pain:
Cervical
Cervical pain will actually be felt in the neck and there are several spine conditions that can cause it:
Disc herniation -- is where the the extrusion extends out to the side of the spine and will pinch the nerve at a lower level.
Foraminal stenosis -- is the narrowing of the cervical disc space over time. The pain is not continuous and is generally only experienced when involved in a particular activity.
Stenosis with myelopathy -- the accumulated degeneration of the joints surrounding the spine which lead to the spinal cord becoming constricted.
Cervical osteoarthritis -- where the facet joints of the spine breakdown.
Thoracic
Thoracic pain will be felt in the mid-upper back, and it can often to be attributed to an injury in this area. There is a great deal of support through this area and with little motion, common problems for lower back pain such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, or spinal instability are uncommon. It is very rare that any of these conditions will cause mid-upper back pain.
Lumbar
Lumbar back pain will be felt in the lower back and there are several conditions that can cause it:
Lumbar degenerative disc disease -- is where pain is caused in the lower back as a result of a weakened disc.
Lumbar Spine Stenosis -- is where the spinal canal narrows over time due to degeneration of the surrounding joints/discs.
Lumbar Herniated Disc -- a ruptured disc is where the nucleus pulposus (a gel like substance) oozes from the disc.
Pelvic
Pelvic pain is a slightly different case as the pelvis supports the entire upper body, and the stresses caused by the vertebra, the abdominal muscles and the abdominal organs. For our purposes related to back pain, pain in the pelvis could be caused by osteoporosis and because the bone structure is weakened, it is prone to fracture.
Most of the problems associated with the back are degenerative in nature and simply occur as a result of the natural aging process. The treatments for back pain are the subject for another article, but a great approach is to stretch/warm up before any activity, lift from the legs when picking anything up and to follow a proper diet, rich in nutrients to support and protect the joints of the body.
Derek Semp is the author of the recently released ebook, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Back Pain And Physical Therapy But Never Dared To Ask." He runs http://backpainz.com
