An acute low back injury is a common cause of severe pain. For many people, the cause of recurring pain is unclear. What is it with low back pain that makes it difficult to diagnose? Understanding the less-known aspects of back pain can help you decide whether a chiropractor here in Salt Lake City, UT is going to be helpful.
You can also understand how much relief you can expect from the pain relievers you just bought.
When pain is either acute or chronic, it cannot be both!
You must have a good understanding of the nature of low back pain if you are living with it. An acute injury may arise from carrying grocery bags or a baby the wrong way. It’s usually a case of muscle spasm – the knotted tissue bathed in painful metabolites causing you to writhe and curse at the same time.
Some types of acute pain are more alarming and should be given immediate medical attention. A herniated disc would announce itself with pain and limitation of movement, and perhaps sensory disturbance in the legs.
Those symptoms should alert you to something more serious that requires a doctor’s attention. The dull, constant ache that comes back to haunt you time and time again is chronic low back pain. Some chronic aches may be age-related while others are shadows of acute injury long forgotten.
The pain is a sort of reminder for you to mind the advice of your doctor, and resume the exercises your physical therapist taught you to do at home. Acute low back pain may last only for a few days or a few weeks.
Chronic pain stays with you, and though it may subside some days, you can’t shake it off just by wishing it away from your body.
When something ominous your way comes
Most people suffer from pain due to mechanical causes – muscle spasm, bony alignment problems, connective tissues and soft tissues tied up in knots. In some instances, low back pain is merely a sign of something else – a medical diagnosis yet to be made.
What are the possible problems disguised as acute or chronic low back pain? When your bellows of pain are more frequent in cold weather, don’t listen to people who dismiss your assumptions. There may be some merit to it.
Back pain that is due to arthritic changes in the joints of the lumbar spine would act up when outdoor pressure and temperature changes. The pain you attribute to muscle strain may be bony in nature, and may even be a sign of arthritis.
Don’t take our word for it. Consult with a physician if you are always bothered by your back when it’s cold outside. The worst-case scenario of recurrent back pain is a developing malignancy. Many different types of cancers would manifest as referred pain on the back, including prostate cancer and uterine malignancies.
Kidney and intestinal issues could also be announcing themselves with acute back pain.
Doctors would recognize red flags when they see them. You must consider seeing a physician when the pain you feel on your back cannot be explained by a sudden wrong move or a past physical injury.
