Let's talk about back pain prevention

Let's talk about one of the most frequent reasons people visit their doctor – back pain. Statisticians tell us that one in five clinic visits are related to back pain and I believe it! I think every one of us, at least at sometime in their lives, will suffer with back pain.

Some people suffer with chronic and debilitating back pain. This is something that is hard to treat and even harder to deal with. Fortunately though, most episodes of back pain will resolve.

Back pain can be caused from a number of different things, as mild as a muscle or ligament strain-just rolling over in bed can cause pain-to the dreaded C-word-cancer, though this is quite rare. Of course there are a hundred other causes as well; arthritis, bulging or degenerative disks, skeletal problems such as scoliosis, trauma or even a disease process such as osteoporosis –predisposing a person to fractures.

If you start having back pain, it can be difficult to know when to worry. Is this something serious, or is this something that is just going to get better? There are a few 'red flags' that everyone should know concerning back pain.

You should worry about pain that causes bowel or bladder problems as this may be a sign that some vital nerves are involved. Similarly, back pain accompanied by a fever may be suggestive of infection such as meningitis or an abscess.

Severe pain as a direct result of a blow to your back or trauma-could mean a fracture! Another worrisome symptom is pain that is not improving over time (within about six weeks).

Associated muscle weakness is also another concerning symptom, especially if this causes trouble with balance or gait. With any of these, you should consider seeing your health care provider.

With acute back pain and no 'red flags', you can try using heat alternating with ice along with simple range of motion exercises. A nice over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or naprosyn can also be very helpful. Even with these simple measures, you will likely see it improve with time.

You know what they say about an ounce of prevention? The same is true with back pain. There are some very simples measures to help prevent acute pain (it's much easier to tweak muscles when they are weak). My list follows:

• Not to beat a dead horse, but you guessed it-EXERCISE is number one on the list, especially those that tone and strengthen your core. Add stretching to the mix to improve your flexibility (improved flexibility in your hips and legs helps improve your alignment).

Another that shouldn't come with any surprise is to lose weight-being overweight strains your back! Something that you may be surprised to hear is that smoking cessation can improve your risk of injuring your back! (Hey, I'm not just saying that to get you to quit smoking-because studies have shown this to be the case but if the shoe fits...)

Finally, it's all about your posture! Stand smart, sit smart and lift smart! If you want to learn about better posture, may I recommend a nice little article you can find at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4485-back-health--posture.

So, sit up straight, do your exercises, feel well and, as always...see you at the clinic.