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Mechanical Back Pain

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Mechanical Back Pain Facts You Need to Know

Back pain is a very common concern among older adults. Studies show that back pain cases are more common among females who are under 40-80 years old. Back pain could be felt anywhere along the spine. The pain quality and severity vary depending on the individual’s pain tolerance and the cause of the pain. It could range from a mild, tolerable ache to a severe debilitating pain.

The most common type of back pain is acute pain, which typically lasts for 6 weeks or even less. Chronic pain, on the other hand, lasts for 3 months or more.

A majority of back pain cases is resolved after a few days or weeks even without medical intervention. Although most back pain causes are not life-threatening emergencies, …show more content…

Mechanical back pain is linked to the movement or “mechanics” of the spine. It refers to any type of pain being experienced when there is an abnormal amount of stress placed on the structures of the spine and its accessory tissues such as the vertebrae, vertebral disc, nerves, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, resulting in inflammation. Research shows that 97% of back pain cases are attributed to mechanical back …show more content…

Painful muscle spasms could result from constantly lifting heavy objects without using proper body mechanics.
Spinal stenosis. Stenosis means abnormal narrowing. In spinal stenosis, the spinal canal narrows abnormally, leading to the compression of your spinal nerves.
Herniated disc. Also known as a slipped disc, this condition is characterized by protrusion of the inner (soft, jellylike) portion of your vertebral disc towards the outer (tough, ringlike) portion. This can cause discomfort, pain, and numbness when your spinal nerves are compressed.
Disc degeneration. This condition is also known as degenerative disc disease. It is usually attributed to aging. As you age, your vertebral discs lose their water content, making them lose height. This would stack your vertebrae closer together and make the nerve openings narrower, leading to back pain. When this happens, your discs would be ineffective in its function as your body’s shock absorber.
Myofascial pain syndrome. This chronic pain disorder is usually experienced when the muscles have been contracted repeatedly. This leads to muscle pain and tightness, limited muscle flexibility, and referred pain (pain felt in other parts of the body other than the actual

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Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is found in 15 to 30% individuals with low back pain.1 Sacroiliac joint dysfunction can be a result of acute trauma, heavy lifting, prolonged bending, torsional strain, fall on to the buttocks and motor vehicle accidents. Chronic and repetitive shear or torsional forces associated with sports like golf, bowling, skating may also result in sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Prolonged sitting or lying on the affected side, more weight bearing on the affected side during walking or standing, forward bending with knees extended may also predispose a person to sacroiliac joint dysfunction.3 Mechanism of dysfunction: Dysfunction occurs mostly when a person lifts something in a forward flexed position or stands in lordotic posture. Due to this, line of gravity shifts anterior to the acetabulum which creates rotational force in extension around

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Pain radiates from the lower back and aggravated by bending, getting in and out of the car, lifting, reciprocating stairs, sitting, standing, turning, twisting and walking which is mildly alleviated by over-the-counter drugs and

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QEP Scripts for Two Recordings – Audio for Musculoskeletal System; “OK, Team! We have a new patient in Room 3B who is being admitted with a progressive (gradual, advancing) decrease in mobility (movement) of his back and legs, and increase in pain located in the lumbosacral (lower back above the tailbone of the spine) area. The patient’s Primary Care Provider has sent along Computed Tomography scans (CT, a rotating x-ray emitter, detailed internal scanner) showing spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine causing pressure on the nerves and spinal cord causing lower back pain.) and decrease of the normal lordosis (abnormal curvature lower spine, excessive inward curvature of the spine) in the thoracic vertebrae (upper and middle back). Lumbosacral

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This article presents a case report about a 31 year old male patient, a teacher at a university, who started experiencing mid back pain after weightlifting one day.3 About 3 hours after weightlifting, the patient began to feel sharp back pain, at levels T4-T8. His pain began to worsen that night causing muscle spasms of his paraspinal muscles, with intermittent radiating pain to his lateral thorax and chest.3 This patient had been diagnosed with thoracic facet injuries in the past, and just assumed it was that.3 However, after the pain did not subside the patient went to his physician who claimed the patient was just having muscle spasms and needed myofascial release.3 However, a radiograph was also done that revealed end plate degenerative changes at T7-T8.3 The patients clinical evaluation revealed muscle spasms of the paraspinal muscles between T3-T12, tenderness to palpate between T6-T8, full shoulder ROM, 5/5 shoulder muscle strength, and normal distal pulses and sensations.3 The patient was diagnosed with thoracic pain and muscle spasms and was give muscle relaxants and exercises for myofascial release.3 Three days after the physician visit, the patient decided to do some walking, to work on his cardio, and experienced mild shortness of

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The practice of chiropractor is becoming increasingly popular since it is a natural way of treating back pain. You can practically find chiropractors in every nook and corner. It is important that you identify the right chiropractor and not just go in for any practitioner. There are some chiropractors who use the technique of identifying the high spot and then mashing it, there are some others who also give nutritional counseling. When it comes to chiropractic doctors, there are doctors who do the Gonstead, applied kinesiology, CBPm logan basic, NUCCA, Blair upper cervical - the list is endless.

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One of those would be railway spine. Railway spine was a condition just where your back would start hurting a lot, but before specialists, general doctors just thought patients were saying that to get attention( El-Hai). It wasn’t until specialists focused on railway spine that people knew it was a real condition. “One in every 28 railroad employees was injured on the job in 1900” (El-Hai).

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Rotating or bending the neck can be difficult. 3. You may also feel pain or stiffness in the shoulders and arms. 4. There may be pain and stiffness in the upper and lower back.

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