Sunday, February 21, 2010

L5 Herniated Disc—Causes and Treatment

Our spine has 23 discs and each segment of the spine has a certain number of discs. They are identified by the name of the segment and the order of their placement.

For example, the disc C5 C6 means it is situated between the 5th and 6th vertebrae in the cervical region of the spine. In the same way the lower or the lumber region of the spine also has discs. It has been noted that in most cases the disc herniation takes place in the lumber spine between L4-L5 or L5-S1 vertebrae. Here the prefix L stands for lumber nerve and S for sacrel nerve.

A disc herniation in the lumber region may impinge L5 nerve which may result in acute pain in the buttock, ankle and the big toe. There may be numbness on the top of the foot. In the same way impingement of the S1 nerve may lead to numbness in the sole or the upper region of the foot.

Causes of L5 herniated disc

Usually the patient has a history of herniated disc due to lifting heavy objects while bending or twisting at the lower back rather than at the knees. It may also occur due to accident, fall or a sudden violent motion in the spine.

Treatment

L5 herniated disc can be treated in two ways, conservative and surgical.
The conservative treatment involves reducing pressure on the nerve root by doing stretching and strengthening exercises. They will make the muscles more flexible and soft.

Medication

The patient may take anti-inflammatory medicines, pain killers and relaxants. Cortisol injections may also help. It must be noted that this medication will bring only temporary relief. Moreover an excessive use of such medicines may also cause side effects.

Surgery

Surgery option should be taken as a last resort when all other therapies fail. The most common form of surgery for L5 herniated disc is known as micro-lumbar discectomy. It involves making a small incision. The patient is generally discharge the same day of surgery.

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Morning Back Pain—Causes and Treatment

Most people who suffer from chronic back pain wake up every day with morning back pain. They are quite well when they go to bed, but wake up with pain in the back. Usually the pain occurs at a specific area or point in the back. But it may also occur in the lower left side or middle back. Some people feel stiffness in the neck or upper back.

Causes of morning back pain

1. Defective bed

In most cases the bed is the culprit for morning back pain. The mattress does not provide the support that your back needs. Sometimes it is too cushiony and may arch your back inwards. In other cases, it may be very thin and cause stiffness in your back.

2. Wrong posture

Some people sleep with wrong postures. In stead of lying straight, they form curves especially when they lie on their sides. There are others who are not satisfied with one pillow under the head. They need two pillows. This may cause pain in the neck.

3. Lack of oxygen

Morning back pain may occur due to the short supply of oxygen at night. This often occurs with sports persons and athletes. Since they exercise hard during the day, their muscles, nerves and ligaments get lots of oxygen. Their bodies get accustomed to stay at a certain level of oxygen supply.

The same quantity cannot be maintained during the night because of the lack of exercise. This problem is often faced by long distance runners. This is the reason that they experience cramps in their legs during the final stages of the race.

Treatment

1. Do some stretching exercise before going to bed. It will enable your body to adjust itself in the right direction during the night.
2. Try to sleep in the right posture so that no part of the body feels strain.
3. If you have a history of severe back pain, you must consult your physician for its treatment.

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Back Pain in Late Pregnancy—Causes and Treatment

Late pregnancy is the time when the long cherished dream of seeing your little baby is about to come true. But the pleasure is spoilt by the back pain that often comes up during the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy. You cannot sleep comfortably and feel miserable no matter what you do because of the back pain. It sometimes shoots down your leg and makes you immovable.

But it can be wrong to think that your back pain will go away after the delivery of the child. There is a good chance that it may stay with you for a long time, may be even several years.

So it would be unwise to take your back pain lightly. There may be several reasons for back pain in late pregnancy.

1. Enlargement of uterus

The uterus becomes big in the late pregnancy. Women tend to pull their back and shoulders to offset the increased weight. This results in strain in the back.

2. Over work and lack of rest

Some women continue to do hard work during the early pregnancy thinking they might need rest during the late pregnancy. They contract back pain but continue to ignore it. The back pain becomes worse during the late pregnancy and it becomes more difficult to cure it.

3. Bad posture

Often the cause of back pain is bad posture while you sit, stand and work. For example, you tend to lean forward while working on your computer or bend your lower back for lifting something heavy.

Treatment

Fist of all you should consult your doctor to ensure that your lower back pain has not been caused by some serious problem like injury from accident and herniation of a disc, etc. In normal circumstances, the back pain can be relieved by simple home treatment.

1. Massage

Prenatal massage can substantially relieve the back pain. You are required to lie with your face on the table. The massage table has a big hole in it to fit in your breasts and belly without causing any discomfort. The masseur can massage your back for a little charge.

2. Pregnancy support belt

Pregnancy support belt can take the pressure off your back. Get one and you will really feel comfortable in your back.

3. Maternity pillow

Like maternity bras, you can get pillows specially designed for pregnant women. They enable you to maintain right posture and take the strain off your back as you sleep at night.

3. Exercises

There are plenty of aerobic exercises like walking and stretching that are safe for late pregnancy.

Do you suffer from back pain in late pregnancy? It does not matter that you have suffered from it for 10, 15 or even 30 years. You would be completely cured even if you are a lost case. Please Click Here to learn more on how you can get fast and permanent relief from your back pain in late pregnancy.

Herniated Disc C5 C6--Causes and Treatment

What is a herniated disc?

A disc is made up of two components. One is a centre and the other is the outer ring. When a disc comes under pressure, its central part tears out of its protective outer ring. A disc in this state is called herniated disc, ruptured disc, protruded disc, bulged disc, prolapsed disc and slipped disc. It presses against the nerve root located close to it and causes unbearable pain.

What is herniated disc C5-C6?

The vertebral column has 23 discs. The part of the spinal column that deals with the neck area, called cervical spine, consists of seven discs. Each one of them is named with the letter C followed by its placement in the descending order. Thus we have disc C5-C6.

Causes of the herniated disc C5 C6

Herniated C5-C6 disc is usually caused by several factors. They are injury from accident or fall, sports related activities, deterioration due to ageing, sleeping with more than one pillow under the neck, twisting or bending the neck beyond endurance etc. All these activities exert lot of strain on the cervical spine.

Treatment of herniated C5-C6

Treatment of the herniated C5-C6 depends upon the nature of injury it has suffered. If the injury is simple, it can be treated at home by do-it-yourself methods. Some of these are:

1. Massage
You can gently massage the affected area with balm. It is likely to relax the surrounding muscles and tissues. You can also ask your friend to do it.

2. Ice packs
Put the ice on the painful area and allow it to stay for 10-15 minutes until you feel a numbness which is another word for having no sensation of pain. Repeat this process every one or two hours.

3. Hot treatment

You may use hot water bottle on the skin. The heat dilates the nerves and tissues and allows more blood with oxygen to rush in. Hot treatment can thus speed up the healing process.

If these methods fail to bring relief, consult your specialist.

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Slip Disc Treatment

What is a slip disc?

A disc is said to be slipped when it bulges or tears out of its protective ring of connective tissue. It is also called bulging disc, ruptured disc or herniated disc.

Slip Disc Treatment

Slip disc can most often be treated by addressing the causes that led to this condition.

1. Self treatment

Simple home treatment like hot and cold applications accompanied by rest can often relieve the pain caused by minor cases of slip disc. The patient may also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication and pain killers like Tylenol and Advil.

Simple exercises that strengthen and stretch the back may provide a lot of relief. Physiotherapy and massage may also help, if required. 95% of the people are cured by these simple steps.

2. Change in life-style

Over-weight people may also suffer from slip disc. The excessive flesh around the waist causes strain on the lumber spine which supports the entire weight of the upper body. When the discs in the vertebrae come under pressure, they tear out of their boundary and press against the nerve roots.

Obesity often occurs due to lethargic lifestyle and uncontrolled eating habits. Eating vegetables and fruits, taking physical exercises regularly and positive thinking can go a long way in reducing the weight and pressure upon the lower back.

Oral Medicines

If the do-it-yourself efforts fail to cure the problem, the patient may take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and narcotic pain killers. This may be accompanied by muscle relaxants if the person is suffering from spasmodic pains in the back.

Injections

If the oral medicines do not work, patient may have to take steroid injections into the lower back area where the slipped disc has occurred. These injections generally have to be taken once in every three months.

The medicines or injections should only be taken at the advice of the doctor.

Surgery

Surgery should be considered only as the last option when every other method has failed. It should be confirmed through tests that the slip disc will cause a potential damage to the nerve roots. Even in surgery, there are several options. You can consult the spine specialist which option will work best in your condition.

Do you suffer from slip disc? It does not matter that you have suffered from it for 10, 15 or even 30 years. You would be completely cured even if you are a lost case. Please Click Here to learn more on how you can get fast and permanent relief from your slip disc.

Upper Back Pain Relief—2 Simple Exercises and a Massage for Instant Relief

Upper back pain most often occurs due to injuries in the broad triangular shaped trapezius muscle. It is located at the back of the neck between the shoulders. It covers the upper shoulder, the upper back and the mid back.

The trapezius muscle has the tender and hypersensitive knots or trigger points. They are so called because they trigger shooting pains when compressed. The pain is often very severe and limits the movement of the upper body.

How to get upper back pain relief

The best way to get relief is to exercise the trapezius muscle. Exercises strengthen and relaxe it and keeps it in good posture. They speed up the blood circulation which brings in added supply of oxygen.

Here are three simple exercises to do that:

Exercise No.1

Shrug your shoulders

Stand in your natural posture and move your shoulders up and down 10 times.

Exercise No.2

Stretch the thoracic area

A. Sit on a stool and clasp your head from behind with both your arms. Now gently bend your body backward 10 times while looking upwards as you do so.

B. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out. Bend your neck and head towards your navel. Stay in this position for 15 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

Massage your Trapezius Muscle.

How to locate the trapezius muscle?

The Trapezius is, in fact, a large muscle. It starts from the base of the neck, extends to the shoulders and goes all the way to the middle of the back. You should choose the upper part of the trapezius for the purpose of massage.

Gently press the muscle area for about 10-15 seconds and release it. Do not press very hard or long to avoid hurting you.

Press only so much that you get “the good hurt”.

Lie Down for massage

Lying position relaxes the trapezius muscle because it does not have to bear the weight of the arms. So lie down and knead the sore spots in rhythmic motion. Move incrementally towards the arms.

You can massage the trapezius yourself. But sometimes it is difficult to reach the area with your own hands. You can, therefore, ask someone to do it for you.

Get the relief you so much need and enjoy.

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Upper Left Side Back Pain—Causes and Treatment

Upper left side back pain, also called middle back pain, thoracic pain or left upper back pain occurs between the base of the neck and the upper part of the lumbar spine. The most pain prone area in the upper back comprises the trapezius, the triangular shaped muscles as well as the shoulder blades.

The reason why it is also called thoracic pain is that the upper part of the spine is connected with the thoracic or chest area. If the upper left side back pain travels to the front part of your chest, lower part of your rib or abdomen, you must see a doctor. You may be suffering from a cardiovascular problem.

Causes

1. In most cases, the upper left side back pain occurs due to the wear and tear of the muscles in the back.

2. Sometimes a nerve in the neck or thoracic part of the spine gets pinched due to bulging disc or arthritis.

3. The vertebrae get afflicted with osteoporosis or weakening of the bones. It becomes so weak that it cannot withstand the weight of the spine itself.

4. Injuries due to accidents or falls may also cause severe pain in the upper back muscles.

5. Over use of the muscles of the upper back and poor postures can cause strain in the joints and ligaments. Painters, who have to work in awkward postures such as while painting the ceiling, often suffer from upper back pain.

6. Women with large breasts sometimes have to strain to stand straight. This may also cause pain the upper back.

7. Heart problem may also indicate itself by causing pain in the upper back area of the neck.

Treatment

As mentioned above, if the pain in your upper back travels to the chest, the best course is to consult your doctor. But in most cases the pain may be caused due to some mechanical problem in your back such as strain, over work or wrong posture. Here are some of the steps you may take to get relief from the upper left side back pain at the initial stage.

1. Massage: Do a deep massage over the afflicted area for a minute or two every hour. Just rub the tender spot by extending your hand across the opposite shoulder.
2. Knead: Knead the trapezius muscles gently like a cat kneads with its paws. Do it yourself or get your friend of spouse to do that.
3. Use elbow: You may ask your friend to gently press the tender area with the point of his elbow for a few seconds at a time and repeat it a few times. Pressure upon a point temporarily stops the supply of blood followed by a sudden flow of oxygen carrying blood. This relaxes the muscles.
4. Correct posture: A wrong posture often weakens and damages the muscles that support the weight of the back. Always be careful of your posture while sitting, standing, sleeping, walking or working.
5. Sports bra:Women with large breasts should try wearing sports bra which provides better support to the shoulders and neck.

Do you suffer from Upper Left Side Back Pain? It does not matter that you have suffered from it for 10, 15 or even 30 years. You would be completely cured even if you are a lost case. Please Click Here to learn more on how you can get fast and permanent relief from your Upper Left Side Back Pain.