Understanding and Managing Back Pain: A Comprehensive Overview

What is the spine?

The spine is the support element that connects the skull to the pelvis. It is made up of a total of 33 vertebrae that are cushioned between them by means of pads called intervertebral discs. The spine takes care of protect the spinal cord inside, which part of the brain and from which all the nerve roots that form the nerves that allow mobility and sensitivity of the body come out. Spinal column is divided into four zones: cervical, dorsal, lumbar and sacral.

The last vertebrae, those of the sacral area, are fused and form the bone that we call the sacrum. Different pathologies, either of the spine or of the surrounding muscles that support the spine, can cause pain of different characteristics depending on their location and origin.

Causes of back pain

It is estimated that 80% of people will suffer spinal pain at one point or another in our lives, and one in five people will experience predominantly low back pain (the most common) lasting at least three months. There are many factors that can influence the appearance of spinal pain:

• Bad postures.
• Physical efforts.
• Poorly performed physical activity.
• Stress.
• Lack of adequate physical activity.
• Bone disorders (osteoporosis, osteoarthritis).
• Alterations in the alignment of the spine.
• Herniated discs.

Cervicalgia

It is the pain located in the cervical spine. Between 22% and 70% of the population will suffer from cervical pain throughout their lives. The main causes are of mechanical origin, with psychological factors (tension, stress) that can influence.

The main risk factors are osteoarthritis, trauma, strained postures or underlying cervical spine pathology. The pain is of mechanical characteristics, that is, it improves with rest and worsens with movement and can sometimes radiate to the shoulders or upper extremities or be associated with.

Back pain

It is the pain located in the central area of ​​the back, along the 12 dorsal vertebrae. This region of the spine it is reinforced by a series of muscles that are inserted in it and whose contracture is usually the usual cause of back pain. The pain is usually one-sided but may also be noticeable on both sides of the thoracic spine. Most back pain is caused by poor positions, muscle contractures, trauma or alterations in the base of the spine.

Low back pain

It consists of localized pain in the. It is the most common pain in the spine and most of the time it is of muscular origin, due to a contracture due to poor posture, trauma or overexertion. The pain improves with rest and worsens with movement and if the contracture is pinched, the pain can radiate to the buttock and thigh, usually unilaterally.

Pain in the sacral area

It is usually due to sacroiliitis, which is pain in the joints between the sacrum and the iliac bones that make up the pelvis. The pain manifests or worsens considerably during simple activities such as climbing stairs, walking with long strides, or simply standing for a long time. The main causes are, once again, bruises, strained postures and physical overexertion.

How to relieve back pain?

Most of the spinal pain They are treated by means of relative rest, local heat to relax the muscles, anti-inflammatories and in some cases muscle relaxants. Likewise, most of them do not require complementary imaging tests (x-ray, scan,), unless the pain becomes chronic and the episodes are repeated frequently.

In these situations it will be necessary for a traumatologist to assess the need for them to rule out possible spinal alterations that explain the episodes of pain. The insurances have a wide medical staff of specialists in Traumatology.

The important of preventing spinal pain

As always, prevention is better than cure. The spine is working all day supporting our verticality. Therefore, we must take good care of it, however, many times we subject it to poor positions and continued and unnecessary overexertion that we could avoid if we were aware of its importance. Following a series of simple and logical measures we can prevent these back pain:

• Avoid incorrect postures, such as sitting on the edge of the chair or with the body sunk in it or with the backrest very reclined
• Do not stay long with your legs crossed
• Use an ergonomic chair and ideally be a footrest
• Have the computer screen at eye level so as not to strain the spine
• If you stay in the same position for many hours, stretch the entire spine, as well as the legs and arms.
• Perform moderate physical activity that strengthens the muscles that support the spine, such as swimming, aquagym, Pilates, yoga, global postural re-education.

If you have any pain in the spine that persists over time despite adequate treatment or occurs with a certain frequency, it is important that you contact an orthopedic surgeon to assess it.

What you should know:

• 80% of people will suffer back pain at one time or another in our lives, and 1 in 5 people will suffer predominantly lumbar pain -the most common- of at least
• Poor posture, physical efforts, poorly performed exercise, stress or a sedentary lifestyle are preventable causes of back pain.
• Most spinal pain is treated by relative rest, local heat to relax the muscles, anti-inflammatories, and in some cases muscle relaxants.