Around the world millions of people with back pain. Various statistics confirm that over 80% of individuals have had some pain in the spine or caused by the same throughout his life. In anthropological adaptation is difficult to walk on two legs, add a sedentary lifestyle and reduced physical effort of many people. Multitude of tests is recommended to assess the cause of a type of back pain in particular and there are effective treatments. What is clear is that the first thing to know is why the patient has pain, hence the pain, what causes it and what the treatment. That is, before any therapy must be studied very well the patient. It is important to find the pathological changes but it is equally important to rule out other processes.

Physiology Of the Spine

The spine is made up of 33 vertebrae and divided into 5 regions. From top to bottom, the first 7 vertebrae form the cervical region and support the weight of the head. Following is the dorsal region, with the following 12 vertebrae, less mobility. The region is the following 5 lumbar vertebrae, is to be injured more easily. Finally, the sacral and coccygeal region is the lowest areas of the spine.

A Major Cause of Back Pain

Back pain can have many causes or etiologies. Many of these trantornos need not necessarily lead to surgery and can be relieved by other treatments. Scientific advances have clarified many of the mechanisms of production of back pain. It is these new skills that have allowed us to find new treatment guidelines.

The most common cause of back pain is a muscular disorder, either strain (produced by an over-exertion) or muscle tear (damage to ligamenteos level, fibers that connect muscle to bone) or what we commonly call contracture (produced by excessive stress). The spine has a large number of muscle groups that help to position and move. When, during an oversight, these muscles are torn, causing painful spasms, a frequent cause of incapacity in adults. In fact, back problems are now the second cause of absenteeism.

Muscle problems usually have duration of 2 to 4 weeks. If this is the kind of pain you suffer, the first recommendation is relaxation, although you can do a lot more.

Other causes of back pain can be caused by a damaged intervertebral disc and presented a hernia or a pinched nerve. The bone changes in the vertebrae are often irreversible and very painful. Another column is wear osteoarthritis. If pain symptoms are accompanied by a loss of bladder control or bowel, if suddenly appears weakness in the extremities, if the pain is too strong or do not go away in a week, you need to see a specialist.

Back pain can have many causes. Problems related to the mechanics of it can cause back pain. For example:

* Disc injuries
* Spasm
* Muscle tension
* Herniated disc.

Injuries from sprains, fractures, accidents and falls can result in back pain.

Back pain can also occur along with some other conditions and illnesses such as:

* Scoliosis
* Spondylolisthesis
* Arthritis
* Lumbar stenosis
* Pregnancy
* Kidney Stones
* Infections
* Endometriosis
* Fibromyalgia.

Infections, tumors and stress can cause backaches.

Can you prevent back pain?

The best preventive measures for back pain are:

* Exercise regularly to strengthen back muscles.
* Maintain a healthy weight or lower if you are overweight. To keep bones strong, you need to get enough calcium and vitamin D every day.
* Maintain good posture by standing law and avoid lifting heavy objects when possible. If you lift something heavy, bend your knees and keep your back straight.

When should I see a doctor?

Should see a doctor if you:

* Numbness or tingling
* Severe pain not relieved by rest
* Pain after a fall or injury
* Pain accompanied by one of the following problems:
- Difficulty urinating
- Weakness
- Numbness in the legs
- Fever
- Weight loss without dieting.

The first and most important sources of information to understand the causes of back pain are the clinical history and physical examination. The other tests, radiological, functional-analytic or only have value if its results correspond with the physical examination. And as some others are painful and involve certain risks, should only be recurrrir them if the results of the examination or physical examination to determine their suitability.
When your back hurts, most important is:

* Determine if this is a pain because of back problem itself (ie a “mechanical spine pathology“) or a general disease that is unfolding in the back (eg, infection, tumor or condition metabolically as osteoporosis). For more than 95% of cases pain is due to a mechanical condition of the spine.
* Determine if there are signs that a nerve is being compressed and what is the specific cause of pain, in order to implement the most appropriate treatment, with the urgency it requires.

To that end, it is essential to conduct a detailed clinical history and meticulous physical examination. Only if the results indicate, any diagnostic test can be ordered more. It may be: radiation-for example, radiography or magnetic resonance imaging, analytic as a blood-or function-as an electromyogram. These tests are described below, but first we must insist that the most important sources of information are:

1. The patient’s medical history, inquiring about their background, how did the pain, its location and characteristics, the factors that trigger or aggravate, etc.
2. A meticulous physical examination, which studies the positions and movements that trigger the pain sensation, reflexes and strength, the existence of signs of nerve root compression, etc..

Besides the history and physical examination, diagnostic tests used to determine the cause of back pain are:

* The radiological tests such as radiography or magnetic resonance imaging
* The neuropsychological tests such as electromyography or evoked potentials
* Blood tests
* Other diagnostic tests used less frequently and, although they may have utility in individual patients, usually only used experimentally.