Introduction

Back pain is the most common complaint among adults under 45. Back pain brings their activities to a complete halt and intervenes in the progress of their career. Researchers say that it is really a challenge to a physician to find out the true cause of back pain.

Here is a quick take on the anatomy of the human back. Our body depends on the spinal column for structural stability and mobility. We twist, bend and flex with the help of spinal column. The spinal column is made up of 24 vertebrae, 7 in the neck (the cervical vertebrae), 12 in the thorax (the thoracic vertebrae), and 5 in the lower back (the lumbar vertebrae). The sacrum, located just below the lumbar vertebrae, consists of 5 fused vertebrae. The tailbone, or coccyx, with its 3 to 5 fused vertebrae, lies just beneath the sacrum. These vertebrae are placed one on another from skull to pelvis. Spongy discs are present in between vertebrae .The spinal column is tightly wrapped by muscles and ligaments.

The spinal cord is enclosed within vertebral canal which is formed by alignment of vertebrae.

Acharya sushruta describes anatomy of spinal column as follows.
Prushte trimshat - The number of back bones are 30 (Cervical-7, Thoracic - 12, Lumbar- 5, vertebrae fused in sacrum -5 , coccyx -1 ). While describing the joints in spinal column it has been said as “Chaturvimshatihi prishta vamshe.” This means there are 24 joints in spinal column.

Maamsaanyatra nibaddhani siraabhihi snaayubhistatha. |
Asthinyaalambanam kritwaa ||
The ligaments and tendons hold the bones and muscles together.

Causes for back ache

Bones and thighs are mainly occupied by Vata. Vata controls and directs the body movements.Back pain occurs when vata in this region gets aggravated due to unwise physical activities (mithya yoga of karma), exaggerated physical activities (Ati yoga of karma ) or less physical activities (hina yoga of karma).

1. Back ache usually arises from spasm of muscles that support our spine. The muscles supporting spine go into spasm when we lift things unwisely, bending over too sharply, sitting in a unsuitable chair, etc.

These type of movements are called as “Mithyaa yoga of karma or action ” in ayurveda.

2. Back pain can be triggered when we sneeze, climb into a car, or bend down to pick up the newspaper.

3. Osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, viral infection, bladder or kidney infection, gynecological problems in women, tumors and trauma may also cause back pain.

4. Lack of motion or hina yoga of karma and bad posture may affect us when we sit or stand for long periods of time. On the other hand repetitive motion or Ati yoga of karma like too much of bending, lifting or twisting also affects our back.

5. Other potential causes for back ache are:

• Overweight

• Wearing high heeled shoes

• Carrying heavy weight

The vitiated vata causes stiffness of joints, pain and limits the movements of back.

Solutions for back pain

1. Stay calm.

2. A complete bed rest for 24 - 48 hrs relieves back pain in most of the instances. Walk a little every few hours to keep the blood flowing and the muscles toned.

3. Applying vata balancing oil like ksheerabala oil on affected region and Naadi sweda (mild steam bath on affected area ) of affected region relives the pain quickly.

See your doctor immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

1. If you are above 50 and sudden onset of severe pain or pain localized to spine.

2. Pain due to recent fall or trauma.

3. Pain in hip and leg.

4. Back pain unrelated to posture.

5. Bowel or bladder control problems.

6. Numbness in the groin or rectal area.

7. Extreme weakness in legs.

8. Unsteadiness while walking

9. Fever or weight loss accompanying the pain.

10. Pain that does not lessen over time even after rest

Prevention of back pain

1. Keep the muscles well conditioned by improving sitting, standing, stretching postures. Well-conditioned muscles are less susceptible to injury.

2. Never bend at the waist or stoop to pick up an object.
Instead, lower the body to the level of the object by bending the knees. Grasp the item, hold it close to the body, and raise yourself with your legs while keeping your back straight.

3. Do not lift very heavy objects.

4. Whenever possible, prop yourself up.

5. Lean against a wall or pillar while waiting for a bus or standing in line at the bank.

6. Keep footstools around the house. Alternatively prop up one leg on stool while doing standing chores.

7. Sleep on a firm mattress and find a comfortable position.

8. Wear low-heeled shoes.

9. Standing straight will do wonders for your back.

10. Sit on a comfortable chair that supports the curve of lower back.

11. While sitting for long hours rest feet on a low stool so that knees are above hips.

12. Do not sit or stand in one position for a very long time. Get up periodically and walk for a while.

13. Avoid activities which hurt back.

14. Do not sit in same position for long hours. It may prove hazardous to back. Take break in between and move around.

15. Avoid becoming overweight. Overweight increases the risk of back pain.

Tips for software professionals to avoid back pain:

1. Select a correct chair, with a relatively straight back and good lower back support. If the chair doesn’t offer lower back support, keep a rolled up towel or cushion to support the back.

2. Correctly position the chair, keyboard, and monitor. Feet should be on the floor, with knees at hip level; forearms should form a right angle with upper arms; and the computer terminal should be at eye level.

3. Adopt a relaxed, upright working posture and allow the chair to support.

4. Avoid slouching forward or leaning back too far.

5. When you are at work stand up, walk around, stretch forward, backward, and side to side once in 30 minutes.

6. Increased stress and strain enhances the chances of back pain. Hence remember to relax! Yoga and meditation are best techniques to relax

7. Eat healthy food which is rich in fiber. Avoid sweets, oil, soft drinks and overeating to reduce the chances of weight gain.

8. Sex should be avoided during acute stage of back pain as it exaggerates the condition.

Ayurvedic Home remedy for backache
Remedy

Ingredients

• Nirgundi leaves (hindi - samhaalu) (Bot- Vitex negundo) (Eng - Five leaved chaste)

• Karanja leaves ( hindi - Ditauri) (Bot - Pongamia pinnata) (Eng - Indian beech)

Collect fresh leaves of Nirgundi and Karanja. Tie them in a thin cotton cloth to form a big ball. Boil this leaves’ ball in water and when it is tolerably hot apply this on affected part. When the leaves become cold reheat them by putting the leaves’ ball in boiling water. After half an hour take out the leaves from ball, grind them to a paste and bind it on affected area.

Biography of Dr. Savitha Suri

Dr. Savitha Suri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda. Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.

Dr. Savitha Suri lives in Mysore, Karnataka, India. She gives consultations in Mysore and also in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.
http://www.ayurhelp.com
email doctor@ayurhelp.com

Ph:91-0821-2451405
Mob: 91-0821- 9342115292

If you read my last article, you know that I have been living with back pain for quite a few years. It has been on and off and for the most part; acupuncture and a good chiropractor have kept me in working order.

Since I was feeling so good, I decided to play some basketball with some guys from work. Well, I landed a little awkward after going up for a shot and really wrenched my back. I kept playing for awhile (yeah, I know; not a good idea) thinking that it would work itself out. Of course, it didn’t. It just got worse and when I went and laid down to ease the pain I found I couldn’t get up.

I made it home and took a bunch of ibuprofen; I have never taken any hard pain meds and don’t ever want to have to do that. Since this pain was worse than ever I decided I needed to try something new. I had heard about the Vax-D Therapy before and even seen commercials on TV. I decided to look them up and give it a go. I have been getting the Vax-D treatment now for 3 weeks and feeling much better; but let me tell you what you can expect from the whole process.

First, you can expect not to be relieved from pain right away. I could not get in until 4 days after my injury and that was only for an initial exam. They did however get me right into an MRI which was just next door. They were booked pretty solid and they scheduled me for the Vax-D therapy starting in about 10 days. During this time, I went to my chiropractor for my usual treatment on the Cox table to get me by. The Vax-D plan seems to be universal and not tailored to a person’s specific needs. By this I mean that everyone gets 20 treatments it seems. My schedule was every day for 2 weeks, then Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 2 weeks and then Tuesday and Thursday for 2 weeks. This is combined with physical therapy which is primarily the Cox excercises. On my first day, they did an EMG (I think that’s what it is called) to test for any nerve damage. I have heard some horror stories about these nerve tests where they place needles into you to get to the nerve but this one was done using contact strips on the skin. It was, however, a little painful. Then it was on to my first round of physical therapy and then the Vax-D treatment.

So I was about to embark on this new treatment but I didn’t have a strong comfort level with the personal attention to my case. I think the physical therapists have seen so many people with the same problems that all seem to get better from the VaxD that they just view it as a panacea and forget to take the time to explain everything to every new patient. Hopefully this article will help you out in this area! The VaxD table is simply a flat table with grips on one end and a pulley on the other. The table also slightly slides backwards underneath you to aid the stretching. The assistant will place a strap around your hips/waist to attach to the pulley and you grip the other end of the table. If you are too tall (as in my case) they will put a harness under your arms and hook the harness up to the grips. The session will last around 25 minutes and the machine will gradually pull a little harder. It is a strange feeling and you will probably feel like either trying to pull against it or move around a little, but I think the best thing is to stay as relaxed as possible. The machine gradually pulls on you for about a half a minute and then slowly releases back to normal. This repeats for the rest of the 25-30 minutes. Since I am using the harness on the top side I have nearly fallen asleep a few times.

It has been 3 weeks since my first Vax-D treatment and how am I feeling? Well, after the 3rd session I was feeling quite a bit better and then for some reason after the 4th session I felt a little worse. Then in the second week I started feeling better again. The main problem I was having was when I stood up after sitting for a long time. Now after the 3rd week I am actually feeling great. I would guess it is probably normal to waiver in the first few weeks. I feel like the best thing for me to do now is to keep up the physical therapy on my own even though I am not going to the back institute every day.

Well, I hope this has helped if you are thinking about getting VaxD treatment or if you are having severe back pain and unsure what to do. I will write more as I experience it!

If you haven’t read it yet here is my article on Acupuncture and Chiropractic.

Want to see more health topics? Check out the Gotta Get My Info Health Page.

About The Author

Deron Van is a software engineer at Intel, he received his bachelor degrees in CIS and marketing from Arizona State University and is the marketing manager at Gotta Get My Info you can email him at deron@gottagetmyinfo.com

Research carried out in 2002 indicated that almost 80% of the world’s population would suffer from some kind of back pain with lower back pain being the most common type. In addition to the high rate of incidence, back pain is also known to have a high rate of recurrence in patients. With patients trying everything from over the counter painkillers to physiotherapy to gain relief from back pain, Acupuncture comes as a welcome change.

Acupuncture is a natural method of treatment that involves no chemicals or surgery. Thin stainless steel needles are inserted into the body at various acupuncture points to stimulate the free flow of Chi or life force through the body. Free flowing Chi results in a healthy and pain free body. Large bodies of research have been able to establish a connection between acupuncture and relief from back pain-especially sciatica.

Sciatica refers to a type of back pain in which the pain radiates from the buttocks down the legs. Sometimes, sciatica pain can also be a consequence of a muscle spasm impinging on the sciatica nerve. Acupuncture can be effectively used to alleviate muscle spasms. The results are almost immediate and can provide relief within minutes.

Back pain is generally caused because muscles that are not frequently exercised and stretched are suddenly put to excessive use. Muscle spasms are common in such cases and result in the individual feeling sore, stiff and a dull ache in the back. Patients suffering from sciatica may even feel a tingling sensation or numbness. This is generally due to the narrowing of the disc space or a disc protrusion in the lumbar region.

Acupuncture is used to improve blood circulation to the entire lumbar region and spinal cord. It relaxes paraspinal muscles and provides relief from muscle spasms. The increased blood flow provides greater nourishment to the discs and increases the elasticity and strengthens the spinal cord. Thus, acupuncture can be extremely effective in reducing back pain symptoms. It is important to remember that different patients respond differently to acupuncture sessions and it can take anywhere between 4-12 sessions to really feel the difference.

Betty Durden is a staff writer for The National Acupuncture Specialists located at http://www.acupuncture-treatment-specialists.com.