Back pain affects a lot of people. Statistics show that 80% of the living population will have back related problems in their lives. Though avoiding back pain is not entirely achievable, knowing a thing or two about the various elements that contribute to the problem is beneficial.
Here are several contributing factors that are a high back pain risk:
Aging
The risks of getting back pain are higher as one age. The reason behind this is bones and muscles become weaker as the year’s progress.
Fitness
People who exercise regularly tend to have the lower risk of back pains. Swimming, jogging, riding, walking, are some of the exercise activities that prevent sprains, strains and other injuries that lead to back pain. Tai chi and yoga are exercises that focus on body balance and inner strength, which also help prevent the risks of falling and hurting the back. Few people are aware of the fact that the muscles around the stomach play an important supportive role for the back thus they also need to be strengthened.
Diet
They say your health is what you eat. Having a diet that has a high-calorie count will lead to having a high body weight with stress the functions of body organs. Obesity is known to lead to the poor physical state. Muscles tend to be weak with low elasticity. A good plant-based diet will help strengthen both the muscles and bones.
Generational disorders
Studies show that some people will suffer from hereditary spinal disorders.
Sleep patterns
According to a study on pain and sleep, 60% of those with back pain problems said that they have trouble sleeping.
Other diseases
There are a number of diseases that are linked to spinal pain problems. Diseases like arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis) and cancer are known to affect the back.
Occupation
The kind of activities you do in your professional occupation influences the risks of back pain. The job that involves a lot of pushing, lifting, or pulling like nurses, construction workers, and heavy equipment operators tend to twist and stress the spine making it even have occasional vibrations. There are other jobs that do not involve heavy objects but have long hours of sitting or standing like in barber or software development jobs are also known to influence the back, especially when one is in the wrong posture for long hours.
Race
Race does play a part in the influential risks of back pain. In comparison to white women, African American women odds of having their lower spine slip out of place standing at 1:3.
Stress
The muscles tighten in many people especially when they are stressed, which is a thing that is linked to back pain problems.
Smoking
Smokers have a higher risk of spinal disorders. The spine vertebrae and discs experience a slow flow of blood which inhibits their functionality; this is based on a research done on this subject. All smokers tend to have deteriorating bone strength and functionality which makes them more susceptible to osteoporosis which is known to cause back pain. Smoking slows down the healing process and this will only mean longer pain sessions especially if one has back injuries.
It is important to seek help once you experience any pain. The doctors are pain management specialists who can effectively diagnose causes of the condition and offer the appropriate treatment options for the pain. Shingles, neck pain, arthritis, back pain, migraines or headaches, nerve pain, phantom limb pain for amputees, and cancer pain are some of the pain disorders that these doctors handle.
The doctors are able to treat pain that is linked to a debilitating ailment or a major injury or pain due to a surgical treatment. Some of the pain related to these issues include pain after chest or stomach surgery, pain after a knee-joint replacement, sickle cell disease-related pain, or pain during a car accident recovery process. The treatment can be offered at both an in-patient or out-patient level.