Ease the Back Pain Away
YOU BEND DOWN, pick up the laundry basket, straighten up, and… yeeow! Pain cuts through your back like a sword.
Back pain or backache is pain felt in the lower or upper back. It can be attributed to muscle strain or injury to the ligaments, joints, bones, or nerves to the spine. Other causes of back pain include kidney stones, Urinary Tract Infection, Arthritis, and Osteoporosis. It can range from a dull, constant ache
to a sudden, sharp pain.
People differ remarkably in their ability to tolerate pain. One person cannot tolerate the pain of a small cut or bruise, but another person can tolerate pain caused by a major accident or knife wound with little complaint.
But there are pains that are so severe, or so lasting, that normal life becomes impossible. Such pain can deprive you of sleep, stop you from working, and even lead to depression and anxiety, particularly if you start to fear that the pain will never stop.
Remedies
Topical remedies include rubbing a dilution of wintergreen which contains methyl salicylate, an ingredient similar to those found in aspirin, which may have a temporary, analgesic effect. Chamomile tea is an antispasmodic and antiinflammatory agent.
Some people resort to acupressure, with a belief that specific points on the hands, feet, and limbs correspond to various parts of the body where the aches and pain may be present. Self-administered, it generally involves pushing straight down with a bent thumb or finger (but not your fingernails)
on the indicated point for about a minute, removing the pressure, then pressing deeply again.
Acupuncture may be used to reduce swelling and inflammation associated with pain. The treatment may include placing needles along the large-intestine meridian, considered the most effective of pain-relieving channels. One theory holds that acupuncture works by stimulating the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. “Because this therapy is thought to have cumulative effect, it is most beneficial if done on a regular basis,” The Medical Advisor recommends.
Although resting for short periods can alleviate pain, too much rest can make muscles shorter, tighter, and weaker, actually increasing pain and putting sufferers at greater risk of injury when again attempting movement. Research has shown that regular exercise can diminish pain in the long run by improving muscle tone, strength, and flexibility. Exercise may also release endorphins.
Hot and cold hydrotherapy treatments can also relieve aches. (See Hot and Cold, right, for tips on how to make a hot and cold compress.) Experts claim the hot compress increases blood flow to the afflicted area and helps relax the muscles, while the cold compress reduces inflammation.
Some doctors in Europe and the United States recommend neural therapy. According to proponents of this treatment, injuries, surgical procedures, and scars create disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, causing changes in the body’s electrical fields that result in pain or dysfunction in remote sites. Injection of a local anesthetic in the area of the original disruption reportedly neutralizes the local disturbance and relieves pain in the distant affected area. In the Philippines, neural therapy is still new and only few doctors use it for their patients.
In other parts of the world, energy medicine is becoming popular, too. One good example is the ultrasound, which reduces the rate of signal conduction in the nerves, so that pain impulses are slowed down and pain relief is achieved.
There’s also the TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), which involves the application of electrical current to the affected nerves in the area where pain is felt. “TENS produces tingling sensation without increasing muscle tension,” The Merck Manual claims. “It can be applied continuously or several times a day for 20 minutes to several hours.”
TSE (Transcutaneous Spinal Analgesia) also follows the same principle as TENS except that the electric current is applied directly to the spine. Medicur is a relatively new treatment which uses electromagnetic waves emitted by a hand-held battery-operated gadget held close to the painful area.
Traditional Vs. Modern
But which is better in treating pain: traditional or modern?
Dr. Bruce Pomeranz, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Toronto, said, “I can’t see a better solution to long-term chronic pain. There is no question in my mind that acupuncture is safer than surgery or drugs because it stimulates the natural chemical changes of the body.”
Modern medicine recognizes acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of pain, but as yet is not really able to explain why it works. One theory is that acupuncture blocks pain transmission along the nerves from the affected area of the body, and also stimulates the brain to produce natural analgesic substances. “Where pain is caused by tight or constricted bands in one or more muscles, acupuncture is highly effective at releasing the constriction and relieving the pain,” observed one traditional doctor.
There are several types of pain, including nociceptive pain (such as pain after surgery and pain because of cancer), neuropathic pain (such as sciatica), and psychogenic pain (mostly related to a psychologic disorder). - Henrylito D. Tacio
Know Your Back
• Back. The posterior part of the body between the neck and the pelvis.
• Upper Back. The area between the neck and the lower back.
• Small of the Back. Also called the lower back, is is located right above the butt.
• Lumbar Region. The part of the back between the ribs and the hip bones.
Hot and Cold
The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments shares tips
to make a homemade hot and cold pack:
1. Pour hot water into one container and ice water into another.
2. Dip a rolled-up towel in the hot water, wring it out, and place it on the affected area for three minutes, then dip another rolled-up towel in the cold water and apply it for one minute.
3. Repeat these alternating applications for 20 minutes three times a day.
When To Seek Medical Treatment
Call your doctor if:
1. Your pain continues for several weeks and doesn’t respond to over-the-counter analgesics and rest.
2. Your pain is unrelenting and unresponsive to prescription medications.
3. The symptoms of the pain change abruptly.
4. The pain renders you non-functioning even for routine, everyday tasks.
No Pain, No Gain.
A form of physical therapy wherein needles are inserted into different parts of the body, acupuncture, which comes from the Latin word acus meaning ‘needle,’ and pungere which means ‘prick,’ began in ancient China. It is said that early acupuncture instruments were made of stone and were named bian stone, also known as needle stone and narrow-headed stone.
