Back pain is a very common symptom for a majority of the American population. Low back pain is the most common location for most people's ailments. In most cases the cause of back pain is due to arthritis. Arthritis is a fancy word for "wear and tear" on the spine. This is a result of the normal aging process. The back is composed of dozens of joints that have the potential to become arthritic and painful. Another thing that predisposes the spine to pain is the very nature of the spine itself. Your spine houses your spinal cord and serves as an outside body armor for this structure. Your spinal cord is composed of pain sensing nerves that go out to the rest of your body and comprise the entirety of your sense of touch. These pain sensing nerves will cross across the many joints in your spine and can come across points of tension while the arthritis sets in. While all of this may be highly sensitive and painful, it is not what we medical professionals call a cause for emergency and can be managed outside of the hospital. We are able to evaluate your pain in an urgent care setting. Call now if you need consultation.
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Non-emergency
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Arthritis: This is the most common cause of back pain. Another word for this that you might here your doctor use is spondylosis. They are essentially synonymous and mean the same thing. Arthritis is the normal wear and tear on your spine as it has to serve you for the duration of your lifetime. What do you know has to be able to function fully for a mean time of 78 years? There is no wonder there isn't more damage! Luckily there are things you can do in order to rehabilitate your spine. There are exercise techniques you can use to strengthen the multiple muscles in the spine and reinforce the joints making stronger.
Muscle strain: there are multiple muscles in your back that participate in everyday movement. These muscles are plentiful and have the work of supporting your entire body structure. This is a lot of work for your spinal muscles to do and it plays a part in why they can pull, and why it is so painful. This can be a cause of your back pain. While it is not an emergency it is something that can affect your quality of life. If you are having back pains then contact a medical professional for evaluation today. Call for help now. |
Emergency
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Disk Herniation: Your spinal disk acts like the shock absorb-er on your childhood bicycle. Because the spine has to take the everyday impact of walking, jumping, running and exercising it needs these shock absorb-ers called vertebral disks in order to maintain its structure. Sometimes this disk can rupture and put pressure on your spinal cord. This is an emergency that medical professionals will use to evaluate whether you need emergency surgery or not. The symptoms that you will experience are groin numbness, muscle weakness on one side, and loss in the ability to withhold stool and urine. That's right, none of these symptoms include pain! These symptoms don't seem like an emergency, but they tell us as medical professionals that your spinal cord is in immediate jeopardy, and that we need to act now.
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