Back Sprains and Strains

Back sprains and strains are the most common reason for back pain and also generally very easy to treat. Although you might think a strain is the same type of injury as a sprain, they are not. When you sprain your back, you are stretching or tearing your ligaments. When you strain your back, you are stretching or tearing the muscles or tendons.

The ligaments in your back are tough fibrous tissue that connects one bone to another. They help to support and strengthen the joint and while they do prevent the joint from moving in the wrong direction they are slightly elastic and allow for some movement. If your ligaments are under constant stress, tension, or trauma they may lengthen and cause the joint to become less stable and more prone to injury.

The muscles or tendons in your back are also tough fibrous tissues that connect muscle to your bone. Like your ligaments these muscles and tendons help to support the spine. If they become injured in any way, your pain would not slowly build up in intensity, it would come on very quickly. The causes of these sprains and strains are very similar,

• Obesity
• Improper posture
• Trauma
• Incorrectly lifting large or heavy items
• Weak core muscles
• Sports activities

Symptoms of a back sprain or strain are,

• Pain that is not long lasting, if your pain has lasted longer than 2 weeks you should see your spine surgeon in Chennai
• Muscle weakness, spasms and stiffness
• Difficulty maintaining proper posture
• Inflammation
• Tenderness
• Inability to perform your normal daily activities such as sitting, standing, walking or driving

These injuries can be diagnosed by a doctor if you feel it is serious enough to warrant a trip to the their office, but for the most part they will either get better on their own or with treatments that can be easily done at home.

*note* if your injury is caused by an accident or is trauma related you should seek medical attention immediately from your doctor. Back conditions heal faster when treatment begins early.

Some treatments you can try are:

• Rest -> resting a few days can help give your back a chance to heal, you will not want to rest to long as this can have the opposite effect and cause you further pain as your back muscles become weak

• Medication -> NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Advil, Aspirin or Aleve can be taken to reduce inflammation and pain or an analgesic such as Tylenol can help to reduce pain

• Physical therapy -> this can include stretching and exercising of the core muscles and can help to prevent further injury

• Cold therapy -> this can be helpful if you have pain and inflammation. Best used within the first few days of pain

• Heat therapy -> this is helpful if you have pain but no inflammation. If you do have inflammation never apply heat to it as it can make it worse

• Massage -> this type of therapy can be very good for those with sprains and strains as it helps by increasing blood circulation to the area, which then helps promote faster healing and can flood the body with endorphins. These endorphins are the bodies natural pain reliever

• Muscle relaxants->- these can be used to alleviate muscle spasms and pain. A popular type of muscle relaxant is Robaxin.

Back Pain On Lower Right Side: Easily Curable

Back pain on lower right side is quite a common phenomenon and can be cured in six weeks or less, but only if the exact cause is found and eliminated. Most of the neurosurgeons in Chennai aim to treat the back pain without trying to find out the exact cause of that pain.

In majority of the cases back pain on lower right side is the result of a poor posture, an injury in the back, muscle imbalances, improper lifting or bending or extra body weight. Poor posture is the most common cause of back pain on lower right side. An appropriate posture lends stability and strength to the spine. A large number of people can alleviate their back pain by taking efforts to improve their posture.

An injury can often result in back pain on lower right side. Although we can take steps to avoid any form of injury, it may still happen. Back pain resulting from any kind of injury can generally be rectified or its intensity can be reduced by undertaking proper stretching exercises. It is important that we take proper steps to keep the muscles in our body in a proper balance. An imbalance in our muscles can often lead to back pain on lower right side. Proper exercise is essential to maintain the balance amongst the various muscles in our body.

Improper lifting refers to an incorrect way to lift the things from the floor or anywhere and generally results in back pain on lower right side. It is essential that one follows the correct way to lift things. One should bend from the knees and not from the waist to pick up things from the floor, irrespective of the weight of the thing to be lifted. Back pain on the lower right side can also occur when a person tries to lift excessive weight. Obese people also tend to suffer from back pain. The solution thus lies in shedding the extra weight on your body.

Exploring The Benefits Of Laser Surgery Over Spinal Fusion

Chronic back pain is a common problem in the world today and many Americans have become dependent on pain pills and frequent visits to the doctor. In some serious cases doctors may recommend a spinal fusion. The spinal fusion is a surgical procedure done by combining two or more vertebrae in the spine to help limit their mobility. This process leads to reduction of pain caused from the motion of the vertebrae. Spinal fusion is basically done in the lumbar section and can be effective in the treatment of thoracic and cervical complications. Lets see some of the benefits of laser surgery explained by leaning spine surgeon in Chennai.

Spinal fusion is commonly considered a "last resort" and is brought on by the patients' neurological trauma or intense pain and unresponsiveness to alternative forms of treatment. Some of the reasons that can lead to this conclusion include spinal tumors, spondylolisthesis, spinal disc herniation, scoliosis, spine instability and digestive disc diseases. However, despite the benefits this medical technique can bring about, it does have some major disadvantages which make it a risky procedure.

One of disadvantages of spinal fusion is that some patients after the completion of the procedure start suffering from severe or minor headaches. Some other common conditions include temporary or permanent numbness on one side of the body; pains in the lower muscles in the back and nerve damage. All these are after effects of spinal fusion which can easily be avoided by having its alternative, laser surgery.

Traditionally, surgical treatments for the spine had been invasive thereby leading to collateral damages of healthy tissues. Many times this has led to future complications resulting in further treatments and multiple surgeries. This led to the development of the laser surgery.

For people suffering from chronic back pain and those dependent on pain pills and other therapies such as injections, the use of the laser surgery should be considered. This revolutionary new medical procedure is essentially non invasive and creates an incision less than the width of a dime. Instead of using a scalpel to cut the herniated tissues, a precise laser beam is used to cut the tissues by evaporating those with high moisture content. This pinpoint process leads to far less bleeding and surrounding tissue damage. The procedure is non invasive, almost superficial leading to a quick recovery time of around 72 hours instead of months for a typical surgery like spinal fusion.

The typical spinal fusion procedure involves drilling your spine to make holes to be used in immobilizing the vertebrae and may involve implanting an artificial disc or support screws. The resulting trauma to the surrounding area can often create intense pain and may subsequently lead to a weakened spine, in some cases confining one to a wheel chair. On the other hand, with the laser surgery, there are no holes drilled on the spine and healthy tissues are not damaged as the disc is repaired, not removed. This superior process leads to a rapid recovery and the pain is significantly less. An additional benefit is that the patient normally gets discharged in less than five days unlike the spinal fusion surgery which can take weeks.

In addition to the whole procedure being less scary and painful, laser surgery is more economical. It has been known to cost 1/3 to 1/2 of the overall cost of spinal fusion. Moreover, due to the quick recovery of the patient, less money is spent in hospitals, time off work, and expensive medication to help relieve the pain caused by the surgery. This means that usually within a week, a laser spinal patient can go on to their daily duties as though nothing ever happened.