Why it’s Smart to Take Care of Your Back

Often, a person’s back is the most neglected area of the body until it’s just too late. Pain in your extremities is more noticeable because you can “see” what’s hurting– if your hand hurts, you not only feel it, but often look at it. By contrast, most people rarely pay attention to their back or how they’re damaging it until they are already at a level of severe pain. Back pain is almost always caused by stress to the back, whether in the workplace, in sport or in overexertion in everyday activities. The good news, however, is that even major back stresses can be relieved with non-invasive treatments that often provide immediate relief.

Sciatica and What You Can Do About It

Sciatica is usually felt in the lower back and can even extend pain to the extremities, generally on one side of the body. Sciatica is caused by herniation or a bone spur putting pressure on the sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back and buttocks down each leg. This can even cause pain and numbness down the affected side’s leg itself. The pain of sciatica can be relieved through cold laser therapy, which heals the swelling and eventually eliminates the pain sciatica causes. Left untreated, however, the pain will invariably get worse.

Spinal Cord Trauma Can Happen Anywhere

Spinal cord trauma, unfortunately, can occur in any number of situations where the spine is bruised or injured. This includes automobile accidents (whiplash), industrial accidents, sports injuries, falls and as a person gets older, it can be caused by rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis. Because the spine is part of the nerve center of the body, it can heal and is generally better protected than other areas, but once it’s injured, recovery can take weeks. A number of therapies can be used that often reduce the pain caused by minor spinal cord injury, depending on the severity and location of the injury to your spine. Of course, the more extreme or life-threatening cases (these are cases where you’re not complaining about the pain so much as going to the emergency room) often involve corticosteroid treatment or immediate surgery.

What To Do If You’re Experiencing Back Pain

The biggest mistake a person can make in the face of back pain is to simply shrug it off. Yet this happens, and often almost every day. People with severe back pain are spending more and more on painkillers designed to “keep them functioning” in retirement rather than determining what is causing the problem. If the stressor situation isn’t diagnosed by a professional, there’s always a good chance that the untreated back problem will only get worse.

If you’re suffering from back pain after a physically stressful event– or if you’ve been feeling pain for days or weeks after such an event, don’t take it upon yourself to “deal with the pain” and keep going about your life. Your back and your spine are a priority when it comes to long-term health and longevity. Back pain affects more than 65 million Americans, so you aren’t alone in suffering – isn’t it time to do something about it? Make time to meet with trained medical staff today so the cause can be diagnosed and healing can begin.

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