Low Back Pain
There are many different reasons and
causes of low back pain. Low back pain can
be caused by joint problems, herniated
discs, inflammation from injuries (sports,
car accidents and work related),
degeneration, tumors, infections and a wide
variety of other conditions and disorders.
In fact, lower back pain is the second
reason next to the common cold that a
patient seeks medical help.
Low
back pain is one of the most common
disorders affecting American adults. It is
estimated that 75 million Americans will
have it each year, and that 80-90% of the
adult population will have low back pain at
some time in their life.
Low
back pain is the most common cause of
disability among the 30-50 year age group.
Because these age groups are usually the
most productive in the work force, the
economic impact of the low back pain is
enormous. It is estimated that over $50
Billion dollars is spent annually treating
low back pain.
Warning signs of potentially serious and
maybe EMERGENT need to seek treatment:
Paralysis, loss of bowel or bladder control,
slurred speech, unrelenting headache-the
worse you have ever had, sudden severe
muscle weakness, numbness of the buttocks
and anal region, arm pain, chest pain,
shortness of breath, pain that doesn't
change
with position, pain that wakes you at night
or night sweats.
Some
episodes of back pain onset after a definite
cause such as lifting a heavy box, injury
from sports, or a car wreck. Other instances
occur slowly and progressively without any
known cause. Some patients develop chronic
back pain which never seems to get better
with medications. It all depends on the
cause of the pain that will determine the
outcome of your pain. See Herniated Discs
and Facet Syndrome below for further
information on back pain.
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