Back Pain Remedies For Dummies

Michael S. Sinel, William W. Deardorff

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780764551321
• eBook ISBN: 9781118069134
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Diseases & Allergies

Get back in control of your back pain Back pain is such a common condition that many doctors andresearchers consider the complaint a normal part of life, similarto having an occasional cold or flu. If you are a back painsufferer, you are not alone:
* Back pain affects more than 80 percent of the population atsome time during their lifetime.
* Back pain is second only to the common cold as a reason forvisits to the doctor and it is second only to childbirth as areason for hospitalization.
* Approximately 50 percent of the working population reports backproblems every year.
* The total medical cost of back pain exceeds 20 billion dollarsa year in the United States. Back Pain Remedies For Dummies takes a holistic approachto back pain prevention and treatment. Exploring the therapeuticoptions - from conventional medicine to popularalternative treatments - this patient-friendlyguide gives you a heads-up on how to relieve pain now and avoidfuture injuries, plus
* Boning up on your spinal column's pieces and parts
* Uncovering some conditions that cause back pain
* Examining the lineup of doctors who treat what ails yourback
* Taking your pain lying down - or not
* Giving weight to alternative therapies, including yoga, acupuncture, and imagery exercises
* Promoting the importance of good posture
* Returning to work and play with a healthy outlook
* Saying yes to sex after a back injury As you try to manage your back pain problem and investigatevarious treatment approaches, you can help yourself by beingassured and hopeful that you can remedy your problem. This reliablereference gives you plenty to reason to believe that back pain doesget better, and successful treatment is possible. You can expect tofind the best treatment for your back problem when you have someunderstanding of who treats back pain, how he or she treats it, andwhy using a multidisciplinary approach isimportant - all of that awaits in Back PainRemedies For Dummies.

Part I

Getting Back to Back Basics

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

You are not suffering alone.

Back pain can be embarrassing and make you feel isolated from friends, coworkers — even your family. In this part, you discover just how common back pain is — actually, almost everyone suffers from at least one bout of back pain during his or her life. We also give you an overview of spine anatomy, which is essential to understanding your pain, and then we go on to discuss the things that can cause back pain.

Chapter 1

Ouch! The Problem of Back Pain

In This Chapter

Digging into the who, what, when, where, and why of back pain

Getting successful treatment

Combining traditional and non-traditional treatments

Unless you find the topic of back pain as exciting as the latest Tom Clancy novel, we’re guessing that you or someone you care about is experiencing back pain. Finding appropriate treatment that actually works can be frustrating, to say the least. And everybody seems to have an opinion about what you should do: Your mother-in-law swears by her chiropractor, your son thinks you should try yoga, your boss touts physical therapy, and your best friend raves about the results of his surgery.

In addition to getting more advice than you want, you may also notice that people treat you differently. For instance, how many times have you heard the following statements (or made them yourself):

Don’t lift those boxes without bending your knees; you’ll hurt your lower back.

You can’t play golf — that twisting motion is bad for your back pain. You’ll throw your back out for sure.

You have a bad back. Don’t even think about trying to sit in a movie theater for two hours. In fact, you should rest while we go out.

Even though back pain is an incredibly common condition, the preceding examples illustrate just how much confusion surrounds the problem of back pain, both for patients and healthcare professionals. If you have spent any time searching for a “remedy” to your back pain, then you are familiar with the bewildering number of opinions and treatment options out there. Two things cause this state of confusion:

In the majority of cases, the exact source of the pain remains unknown.

Healthcare providers show considerable disagreement as to specific diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans.

These two problems mean that you are likely to get a wide variety of diagnoses and treatment recommendations as you search for answers to your back pain. In fact, the more you search, the more bewildered you may feel.

With all this conflicting information, you may not be sure which route to follow. Chapter 1 to the rescue! We start by giving you a solid definition of back pain and go on to discuss treating back pain. Read on to get a leg up on the whole issue of back pain as it applies to you.

Defining Back Pain

A section that asks, “What is back pain?” may seem crazy. Your answer may very well be, “Why, pain in the back, of course!” However, (as you may have already experienced) a general back pain problem or a spinal condition can include many different symptoms.

You may notice that we use the terms back pain and spinal condition somewhat interchangeably, although sometimes the terms mean something different. For instance, a spinal condition may cause pain down your legs but no pain in your back.

As you experience back pain or a spinal condition, you may experience a variety of symptoms, including:

Pain that has a throbbing, aching, shooting, stabbing, dull, or sharp quality

Pain down one or both legs with very little pain in the lower back

Numbness or weakness in the legs

Pain in the lower back and legs that only occurs in certain positions

Sleep problems, decreased energy, depression, and anxiety

Pain that seems to move to different parts of the body, including the back

Pain that stress and emotional issues cause or make worse

The preceding examples represent just a few of the many ways that a back pain problem can present itself. In order to get good treatment and ensure that treatment doesn’t actually make your problem worse, you must have a good understanding of the different types of back pain problems (see Chapter 3 for details). Having this knowledge helps you gain control over your particular back pain or spinal problem.

Who experiences back pain?

Back pain is a very common condition that many doctors and researchers consider a normal part of life, similar to having an occasional cold or flu. As a back pain sufferer, you are not alone:

Back pain affects more than 80 percent of the population at some time during their lifetime.

Back pain is second only to the common cold as a reason for visits to the doctor and it is second only to childbirth as a reason for hospitalization.

Approximately 50 percent of the working population reports back problems every year.

The total medical cost of back pain exceeds 20 billion dollars a year in the United States.

What causes back pain?

As we detail in Chapter 3, back pain has a great many known medical causes. If you venture outside the realm of traditional Western medicine, then the list of possible reasons for back pain becomes even longer. For the purposes...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Getting Back to Back Basics
• Chapter 1: Ouch! The Problem of Back Pain
• Chapter 2: Introducing the Parts of Your Spine
• Chapter 3: The Root of All Back Pain
• Chapter 4: Out of Your Hands: When to Seek Help and from Whom
• Part II : Conventional Treatment Options
• Chapter 5: Home Remedies: First Aid for Your Back Attack
• Chapter 6: Back Pain under the Microscope: Common Medical Tests
• Chapter 7: Going the Conservative Treatment Route
• Chapter 8: Choosing to Have Back Surgery
• Part III : Complementary Approaches: Are They for You?
• Chapter 9: Ancient Eastern Wisdom and Contemporary Ideas
• Chapter 10: A Chiropractic Solution to Back Pain
• Chapter 11: All in Knots: Yoga for Your Back Problem
• Chapter 12: Using the Power of the Mind-Body Connection
• Part IV : Rehabilitation
• Chapter 13: The Importance of Posture
• Chapter 14: Exercising Your Way to a Healthy Back
• Chapter 15: Products for Better Back Health
• Part V : Resuming Normal Activity and Preventing Future Injury: Work, Play, and Sex
• Chapter 16: Getting Back to Work
• Chapter 17: Safely Returning to Your Favorite Sports: The Weekend Warrior
• Chapter 18: Sex and Back Pain: Getting “Back” in the Saddle
• Part VI : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 19: Ten Most Common Questions about Back Pain
• Chapter 20: Ten Steps to a Healthy Back
• Chapter 21: Ten Reasons to See a Doctor for Back Pain
• Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Working Successfully with Your Doctor
• Chapter 23: Ten Hot Topics in Back Pain
• : Appendix A
• Appendix B: Resources for Additional Information