Low back pain is one of the most common complaints made to doctors. Fortunately, according to the NIH Low Back Pain Fact Sheet, low back pain is rarely related to serious underlying conditions, but when these conditions do occur, they require immediate medical attention. Serious underlying conditions include:
• Infections are not a common cause of back pain. However, infections can cause pain when they involve the vertebrae, a condition called osteomyelitis; the intervertebral discs, called discitis; or the sacroiliac joints connecting the lower spine to the pelvis, called sacroiliitis.
• Tumors are a relatively rare cause of back pain. Occasionally, tumors begin in the back, but more often they appear in the back as a result of cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body.
• Cauda equina syndrome is a serious but rare complication of a ruptured disc. It occurs when disc material is pushed into the spinal canal and compresses the bundle of lumbar and sacral nerve roots, causing loss of bladder and bowel control. Permanent neurological damage may result if this syndrome is left untreated.
• Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs becomes abnormally enlarged. Back pain can be a sign that the aneurysm is becoming larger and that the risk of rupture should be assessed.
• Kidney stones can cause sharp pain in the lower back, usually on one side.
When you do not have these conditions, you might consider strengthening exercises a good option for relief of symptoms. According to NIH, “Maintaining and building muscle strength is particularly important for persons with skeletal irregularities.” Evidence supports short- and long-term benefits of yoga to ease chronic low back pain.
Over 30 years ago I had a regular yoga practice. Like a lot of you, sometimes people forget to make doing the best things for our health and well-being a top priority. Recently I have begun enjoying yoga again, and you may particularly be interested in a very easy-to-follow article featuring 9 Simple Yoga Poses To Help With Back Pain.
This week, make it a point to reactivate something from your past that was (and is) good for you. If you are interested in a three-page handout with these 9 simple yoga poses, send me an email message. I clipped images of the poses and put them together with the instructions. Ah, your back is already beginning to feel better now, isn’t it….
Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips
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Rev.Debra Basham
Voice or text: (269) 921-2217 Email: debra@scs-matters.com https://scs-matters.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa |