Understanding Upper Back Pain Prevalence and Impact True, the upper back does not cause as many visits to the doctor…
Medical experts rank back pain as one of most common medical conditions, affecting an estimated 80% of all Americans at some point during their lives. What makes back pain particularly troublesome, is that it is a medical condition that affects people of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds. But what exactly causes back pain?
An adult spine consists of a stack of 24 bones called vertebrae, plus the bones of the sacrum and coccyx. These bones support the human body and protect the spinal cord’s major column of nerve fibers connected to the brain. These fibers run through the vertebrae via the spinal canal. Between each vertebra are discs made of cartilage and filled with a gel-like material, these act similar to a shock absorber. Also, ligaments, muscles, tendons and small joints called facets help hold the vertebrae together.
An astute writer once wrote, “Lucky the woman who knows the pangs of birth, for she has held a star.” Of course, if you’re a woman who’s ever been pregnant, you just know it was a man who said this! Sure, having a baby is a wonderful time in your life, but what about all the pain that comes with it? And contractions are only the half of it! Of all the pains women report experiencing during pregnancy, back pain tops the list for causing the most negative impacts on their daily activities. Pregnant women still need to get things done in their lives. They often have other children they must parent, business meetings they must attend, and everyday activities that aren’t going to get done unless they address them head-on. But when that pregnancy back pain comes on, it can have the power to keep you down for hours. If you’re a pregnant woman who’s experiencing back pain, here’s more information from top spine specialists in New Jersey about the causes of your pain and, more importantly, tips to help ease that pain and get you back to your active life.
It seems kind of obvious but pregnancy puts a lot of strain on a woman’s back for a variety of reasons. Experts say that most pregnant women experience back pain and that this pain starts in the second half of the pregnancy. Pregnancy back pain starts where the pelvis meets your spine, at something called the sacroiliac joint. If you have any concerns about back pain and pregnancy you should consult a top spine specialist in New Jersey spinal specialists are experts at diagnosing and preventing back pain and they can suggest, pregnancy safe methods of preventing back pain during pregnancy. There are five common causes behind pregnancy back pain in women.
If you have ever woken up with a really stiff neck, you know just how annoying and frustrating it can be. You can hardly align your head correctly, let alone get out of bed or do much of anything else for that matter. This is actually a condition called Torticollis. One type of Torticollis is called Congenital Torticollis and it mainly happens in young infants and kids. But, it can also happen in adults and it’s called Adult or Acquired Torticollis. This condition is the same as it is in children, but it’s sort of like the adult version. The main symptoms of this annoying condition include a stiff or painful neck when you wake up in the morning or even a sharp pain on either side of your neck when you try to turn over or get up. If you’ve had this condition, you know it by the pain alone, but also by the crookedness of your head – it seems to tilt either to the left or right. Unfortunately, this type of condition can happen because of no specific cause, however, there are factors that can be related to it. Check out the article below to find out more about this condition, what you can do to fix it and newer/better ways to sleep at night to keep this from happening again.
Most adults in New Jersey and throughout the country have suffered from back pain at one time or another. If you’ve experienced back pain, you likely have searched high and low for back pain treatment to make it go away. Many types of back pain will relent within a few hours to a day, while others can continue for much longer and even become chronic. Thankfully, there are several effective back pain treatments, and the type of treatment depends on several factors, including the region of the pain, the level of pain, and the personal preference of the patient. Below is information regarding some of the more common treatments for back pain, including exercise and strength building, medications, physical therapy, injections, surgery, and sometimes, just plain rest is the key.