What is Back Pain?

Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident or other stress on spinal bones and tissues. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Chronic back pain is pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

Currently, researchers are examining the use of different drugs to effectively treat back pain, in particular, chronic pain that has lasted at least 6 months. Other studies are comparing different health care approaches to the management of acute low back pain (standard care versus chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy). These studies are measuring symptom relief, restoration of function, and patient satisfaction.

Dancing Away the Back Pain

There are so many occupations where the job that someone does is the cause of their back pain. This job, that they have they love so much, they are not willing to give up, even if they suffer recurring back problems. This is true of those who choose dancing as a career. The pain they suffer, not unlike other athletes, is usually in the lower lumbar region. Studies worldwide have shown that at least twelve percent of all dancers will suffer some type of lower back pain. The more spinal movement that a person is required to do in their career, as a dancer or athlete does, the more opportunity there is for injury.

Interestingly a certain portion of the back pain suffered by dancers is not actually injury per se but simply overuse. They are either training, practicing or performing. That does not give them much down time and so their backs may suffer for it. Their back pain will fall into one the following categories; mechanical, disc related, inflammation of the vertebrate or fractures. All of which are caused without a doubt by overuse. The problem is if dancing is your life when do you rest?

Isn't it interesting then that despite the fact that dancers often have to deal with back pain that can disrupt their careers that a doctor in the United States is working on a program that she thinks will help many deal with back pain. Her program uses dance to help regain back strength and flexibility. Originally taking dance lessons to prepare for her upcoming wedding she discovered how much better she felt physically after each lesson. She felt this was telling her something. Had she stumbled on a path that may change her life?

The answer was undoubtedly. She switched her interests to pain management and set about hiring herself a couple of excellent dance instructors who could do the same thing they had for her for others. Once she completes a medical appraisal of the patient's condition and the causes for their back pain she begins with them a unique program that includes three sessions a week that include both light exercise and one on one dance lessons. She believes that anyone with pain bad enough that they are unable to get back to work needs a little extra boast and she thinks that dance may be that boast.

Her dance instructor's concentrate not just on teaching the steps, but keeping the patient's posture right. They often straighten a shoulder here, tilt a head there or correct some other aspect of the patient's stance to ensure a more pain free lesson. They know that if the position is not right that the person will not be using their energy to its fullest. This new program seems to be reaching out to not only those who are back pain sufferers but also those who want to avoid future back pain and so are trying their best to dance into good back health.

Written by: Scott Parat