Back Pain Is No Joke

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints among adults in the United States. Low back problems account for more lost person hours than any other type of occupational injury and are the most frequent cause of activity limitation in U.S. citizens under age 45. If you have never had low back problems, be grateful and include some daily preventive exercises to help reduce the chance that the problem will occur.

Causes of Low Back Pain

Many factors are related to low back problems, including structural abnormalities, some diseases, accidents, inappropriate lifting, poor posture, lack of warm-up prior to vigorous activity, lack of abdominal strength and endurance, lack of flexibility in the back and legs, and an inability to cope with stress.

You should call your doctor if...

- the pain continues for about a month,

- you are less than 25 or above 55 years old,

- you have or have had cancer, the pain has resulted from serious injury or trauma,

- the pain becomes worse when you lie down,

- you can't walk,

- you have fever with pain,

- you have numbness of the extremities, or

- you are experiencing defecation and urination problems.

RANDOM FACTS ON LOW BACK PAIN

-Ninety percent of adults in the United States will have a back problem during their lifetime.

-Low back pain is responsible for one-third of all disability dollars, about $24 billion in the United States.

-In 84 percent of cases no definite cause is found. Disc herniation, found only in 5 percent of the remaining cases, usually resolves spontaneously without surgical intervention.

-Continuous sitting, lying down, and the use of strong painkillers such as narcotics are the worst things one can do for back pain.

-The best thing one can do for preventing and treating low back pain is to participate in an appropriate exercise program.

Flexibility is an important component of fitness. By adding stretching exercises to your fitness workout, you can increase your range of motion and lower your chances of injury, particularly to the low back. When we are flexible, we are able to comfortably enjoy exercise and easily accomplish a variety of daily tasks pain free.