Low-Back Pain: Healing your aching
back
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Low back pain is ubiquitous, affecting roughly
four in five Americans at some point in their
lives. It’s the fifth most common reason
for visiting a doctor, one of the top reasons
people miss work, and the most common cause of
work-related disability in people under age 45.
This report discusses why low back pain develops
and how to develop an individualized treatment
plan. It was prepared by the editors of Harvard
Health Publications in consultation with Jeffrey
N. Katz, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Medicine
and Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School.
46 pages. (updated: 2006)
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Table of Contents:
- Who develops back
problems?
- Age
- Sex
- Family history
- Work and play
- Physical characteristics
and posture
- Psychological
factors
- Other factors
- The anatomy of your
back
- Disks: Your back’s
shock absorbers
- A flexible, protective
column
- Ligaments and
muscles
- A horse’s
tail of nerve roots
- Why does your back
hurt?
- Sprains and strains
- Pinched (compression)
nerve syndromes
- Emergency situations
- Other causes
of back problems
- How to prevent back
problems
- Stay fit
- Maintain a healthy
weight
- Kick the habit
- Lighten your
load
- Develop back-saving
habits
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- When to see a doctor
- Physical evaluation
- Imaging studies
and other testing
- Treatment choices
and considerations
- Medical considerations
- Personal considerations
- Conservative measures
- Cold and heat
- Limited bed rest
- Over-the-counter
pain relievers
- Prescription
pain relievers
- Injection therapies
- Exercise
- Complementary
therapies
- When surgery is an
option
- Surgery for disk
disease
- Surgery for compression
fractures
- Surgery for spinal
stenosis
- Surgeries for
other back problems
- A plan for recovery
- Glossary
- Resources
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In spite of being so common, low back pain remains
something of a medical puzzle. Even after extensive
tests, physicians often can’t pinpoint
an exact cause. Many people with low back pain
visit one doctor after another only to come away
with conflicting opinions. Most cases of back
pain are ultimately classified as “idiopathic,” meaning
they have no known cause—yet the pain is
all too real to the person affected.
Why is low back pain such an enigma? It is important
to understand that back pain does not describe
a single entity. Instead, back pain is an umbrella
term that includes a number of discrete medical
conditions that can vary in severity. In fact,
some of these conditions don’t even originate
in the back.
The way that you manage your symptoms will also
depend on the type of low back condition you
have and whether the pain is acute (that is,
it comes on suddenly but will likely get better
in a matter of weeks) or chronic (lasting more
than three months with no improvement or even
getting progressively worse).
And as is often the case in medicine, the more
active a role you play in your treatment plan,
the better your recovery is likely to be. This
Special Health Report will help you to become
an active participant in your care. It provides
in-depth information about how your back works,
the most common causes of low back pain, diagnostic
tests and procedures, and the most effective
techniques to treat particular back problems.
Armed with the information provided in this report,
you’ll be better able to work with your
physician to solve the mystery of your ailing
back and get on the mend.
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