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.

The Back Pain of Scoliosis

Sometimes back pain can be caused by a condition of the spine called scoliosis. This condition occurs when the spine is not straight. Depending on where the curve starts scoliosis can also deform the ribs causing them to push the chest out in front as well as in the back. The back pain that will accompany this condition completely depends on where the curve begins and how severe it is plus the age of onset.

Most of the time scoliosis begins at birth. Although there are a lot of questions that health care providers are still asking they do know that genetics plays a large part in this condition. Eighty percent of all patients diagnosed with scoliosis are considered the result of genetics. Eighty eight percent of patients with scoliosis are female, the remaining twelve percent being male. The onset of scoliosis can be broken down into infantile, juvenile, adolescent and adult. Adult onset is almost always scoliosis that was not discovered or treated at an earlier time.

Whatever the reason or timeframe of onset scoliosis can be a cause of extremely agonizing back pain. The amount of pain is directly related to the degree of the curve. The worse the curve the more it will tire the person doing their daily routines and so the pain will be worse. Often because of the angle of the curve there can be pressure put on the nerves and the vertebrae are compacted. This can cause very serious back pain. In extreme cases it can even cause paralysis or heart and lung problems.

The deciding factor on how to treat scoliosis back pain is what to do about the curve. If the curve is forty degrees or less it is harder to treat since braces do not work. But even the larger curves do not always benefit from braces since once they are removed the curve often realigns itself. If the curve is serious enough surgery may be suggested. This kind of surgery will use pins, screws and rods to straighten the spine. This will eliminate the back pain. Some people feel that this kind of surgery is too drastic and that it would be better instead to uses braces and exercise to try to correct the curve.

The health care provider will tell their patient that the key to prevent serious back pain is to ensure that the curve does not exceed fifty degrees. If it does by the time the child is an adult they can count on a one percent increase in the curve yearly. This can only increase the long-term pain issues.

Scoliosis will affect children worse if they have a large curve then it will adults with a small curve. As it is not all a pain issue but a quality of life issue as well it is wise to investigate early and become active in treatments that can correct, even to some degree, the curve. This is the only hope to lessen the pain of scoliosis.

Written by: Scott Parat