What Is Low Back Pain: The Problem, Its Causes and Its Remedies

back pain reliefLow back pain is a near ubiquitous problem that is faced by almost all people throughout the world, especially those in a higher age group. In fact, according to research, almost 80% of all people will face low back pain at some point in their lives. Furthermore, the reasons for back pain can be literally anything from lack of sleep, to physical exertion, aging or even your mental state. All this can make back pain a frequent and irritating occurrence which leaves you desperately craving for low back pain relief and lead

you to make hazardous health decisions while searching for your back pain relief.

That is where we step in. We hope to inform you about some of the causes, effects and remedies of back pain to help you make an informed decision while searching for your low back pain relief.

What Exactly is Back Pain?

Back pain is an extremely complicated condition that basically boils down to your back muscle tendons getting strained due to a variety of reasons. This condition can range from mildly irritating to massively problematic depending on the intensity of pain and the frequency at which you’re getting back pain. Some of the factors that can contribute to high back pain occurrence are:

  • Age: back pain is a problem that increases in severity as you grow older. People from the older demographics, 30 years or older, have a higher occurrence of back pain than teenagers or young adults.
  • Weight: weight is another factor which contributes to high back pain occurrence. Higher body weight means extra strain on your muscles and spine which increases the chances of developing back pain.
  • Lifestyle: a person’s lifestyle can also contribute to them having back pain. Some people have to deal with lifting heavy objects or putting extra strain on their backs which can cause them to develop back pain.
  • Mental health: bewilderingly, low back pain is also linked with medical conditions such as depression or anxiety, so having these mental problems may cause you to develop back pain.

All these problems in our daily life compound and increase the chances of us developing back pain, which is part of the reason why back pain has become so common now.

The Causes of Low Back Pain

Low back pain can be caused by a variety of reasons which include:

  • Muscle strain or sprains: Your back is filled with numerous muscles. In your daily life, your actions may damage or strain your muscles which can cause you to have back pain.
  • Damaged discs: Between the bones of your spine, there are number of discs which act as cushions. Massive strain on these disks can cumulate which can cause back pain.
  • Arthritis: another common reason for back pain is arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis. Arthritis can cause other spine problems such as spinal stenosis which can also cause massive back problems.
  • Other causes: a variety of other things such as bladder or kidney infections, cancer or ovarian problems can also contribute or cause back pain.

Remedies of Back Pain

There is an unfortunate abundance of back problems throughout the world. To combat them, modern medicine has created a bunch of remedies to reduce complications from the worst of low back pain and to provide low back pain relief to all those facing the problem. Some of these remedies are:

  • Pain killers medication: there are a bunch of pain relief medications which can help you gain relief from your back pain. Visit your local pharmacy for pain relief medications such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen or Naproxen
  • Cold therapy: applying cold packs are a time-tested way for achieving back pain relief. It soothes your aching muscles and is an effective treatment for more manageable back pain.
  • Bed rest: in cases when back pain is caused by exertion, sometimes limited bed rest can help immensely. Make sure to limit it for a few hours though, as bed rest can cause muscles to stiffen up which can cause more harm than good.
  • Proper posture: Back pain can be caused or exacerbated due to bad positioning, be it a bad slouch, bad sitting posture or bad sleeping positioning. Fixing these problems can get you back pain relief and help you out in the long run.
  • Exercise: exercise is essential for almost all factors of life, but it’s especially essential for protecting or healing against back pain. Exercise strengthens your muscles and keeps them flexible, strengthening your core and making it less likely that you’ll have back pain. Furthermore, physical therapy is an essential part for those who are seeking to heal from back
  • Surgery: in more extreme cases, surgery will be necessary. Surgery is necessary for extreme back problems such as the presence of a tumor, infection or extreme weakness due to nerve compression.

What To Expect When I Visit The Pain Relief Clinic

A typical visit will involve our doctor first understanding your medical history, concerns and previous experience with other pain treatments.

For patients who have consulted many people but have yet to receive a clear diagnosis, selecting an affordable imaging scan might be recommended to confirm the cause of your pain..

Some patients have already done scans with other doctors for their pain condition but are still not clearly told what they suffer from.

Dr Terence Tan is happy to offer you a second opinion and recommend how best to manage your condition.

We also see patients who already have a confirmed diagnosis from specialist pain doctors, but are "stuck” because treatment options offered are not practical or acceptable.

We can help by discussing options that you might have potentially never been told of.

A common experience is when a patient has already consulted a specialist doctor for pain management and is told to consider orthopaedic surgery which they find too aggressive.

Or they may have seen doctors for their pain and were prescribed painkillers with potential side effects which made them feel uncomfortable.

Many of our patients have also first tried complementary treatments or acupuncture with traditional Chinese pain doctors.

They look for a second opinion after finding any relief experienced from other treatments to be temporary or requiring repetitive treatments, which add up to time and cost.

Especially in such situations, we emphasize using non-invasive medical technology you likely have not been told about .

This can make a big difference to your results.