Meeting Your Spine
Posted on January 10, 2008
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The spine is made up of 3 sections and each section has so many vertebrae. If you’re going to talk about back pain then you should know which vertebrae numbers belong to which spine segment. Otherwise, it won’t mean a thing when the doctor tells you that vertebrae T6 is injured. By the way, vertebrae is plural for vertebra.
The top section of the spine is called the cervical curve, and it’s composed of vertebrae identified as C1 to C7. The middle of the spine is called the thoracic curve and it’s made of vertebrae identified as T1 to T12. The third section is the lower back, and it’s called the lumbosacral curve. The lumbosacral curve is composed of vertebrae L1 to L5. Below the lower spine is the coccyx or tailbone. The spine is meant to be in balance in order to do its job properly. The spine should be lined up so that the ear, shoulder and hip are in a line. The spine curves, but the body is straight.
Can You Have A Herniated Disc without Pain
Posted on January 10, 2008
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A bulging disc is when the spongy material between vertebrae extends out. It’s usually caused by too much pressure that’s been put on the spine causing excessive compression. There are lots of nerves that run out from the disc, so when the disc bulges near one of the nerves, pain develops. The pain isn’t necessarily in the back though. The pain can run down the nerves and end up making your legs or even your arms hurt.
The fact is though, you can have a herniated disc and not have any pain. You can actually have a bulging disc that doesn’t affect a nerve and so there’s no pain. The indications you have a back problem include other things like tingling and numbness in the legs. So don’t think you have to have pain when you have a bulging or herniated disc.
I’m In Pain! Really
Posted on December 26, 2007
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The doctor labels pain according to how long it lasts and how often it occurs. They do this so they can determine which is the best diagnostic tool and the best treatment to use. The categories can get a little blurry at times though. For example, acute pain can be recurrent pain.
The first kind of pain is acute pain. Acute pain is pain that usually lasts less than one month. The level of pain depends upon what caused the pain. The worse the injury, the more it hurts. Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than 3 to 6 months. You don’t even have to have an injury still healing for the pain to continue. Intermittent or recurrent pain is acute pain that happens over and over again.
There are lots of pain therapies used for the different levels of pain. You can do some at home while others require a doctor. When you go to the doctor, he or she is going to classify your pain after getting a history or your pain episodes.
When It Hurts but It’s Not Serious?
Posted on December 26, 2007
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Diagnosing the cause of a back problem can be very difficult. The source of pain can be almost impossible to pinpoint in many cases. A muscle strain won’t show up on a MRI or X-ray making it hard to say exactly what’s been injured. But one of the most common diagnosis is muscle sprain. A strain can actually be a muscle, ligament or tendon strain.
When you strain your back, there’s a limited number of things you can do to make it feel better. Often, it just takes some time for the sprain to heal. You can reduce your physical activity while it’s healing. You can also put an ice pack on the area where it hurts right after the injury happens. There are plenty of over-the-counter medications you can take too. As the pain begins to go away, you should start moving around again. It usually only takes a few days for a sprain to get better.
Bulging and Herniated Disc the Difference
Posted on December 26, 2007
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There’s a difference between a bulging disc and a herniated disc. The disc, if you remember, is the cushion between vertebrae in your spine. A bulging disc is a disc that pushes out but doesn’t actually rupture the wall of the disc. A herniated disc is a disc that bulges toward the back of the spine and it does break through the disc wall. The outside wall of the disc is called the annulus fibrosis.
The back pain you feel with a herniated disc is due to the disc pressing on a nerve. You can actually feel the pain in your legs if it’s a lower back vertebrae that presses on the nerves that runs down your legs. Most herniated discs happen in the lower spine or lower back. When the sciatica nerve is pressured by a herniated disc, the pain can be intense all the way down the leg. There are lots of things the doctor can potentially recommend you do to relieve the pain. You can do exercises to strengthen the back, take anti-inflammatory medications or get steroid injections for example.
Computers Are a Pain In The Back!
Posted on December 6, 2007
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There are many people these days who sit at a computer at work all day and then go home and sit back down again. Some do this five days a week. Office workers at one time were called desk jockeys, but today its more like computer jockeys. When you sit in the one place for extended periods of time, the back inevitably starts to hurt. Often the middle or lower back areas begin to ache. Once the aching starts, the only way of getting relief is to get up and move around. But what happens the minute you sit down again, the aching starts.
this type of back pain is easily preventable, however, there are some things you must do to stop long term back pain taking hold. First, you need to be acuitly aware of your posture at the desk. The most common problem is people who slump in their chairs as this is very bad for your spine. You should sit upright, shoulders relaxed and the knees bent at right angles. Also, too many people try to make due with chairs not designed for sitting all day long. A good chair for use with computers will have no arms, and a backrest you can adjust to support your lower back.
Relief From A Pain in the Neck
Posted on December 6, 2007
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People all around the world go to chiropractors seeking relief from back pain. What is it that a chiropractor does that can provide relief from pain. Basically a chiropractor works to relieve the pressure, and hence a compression of the spine resulting from tension, strain or even injury. Stress is quite often the cause of pain in the neck and back.
Compression of the muscles leads to compression of the spine which can be very painful. When the vertebrae in the back compress, they can impact on the nervesi the spinal column. If a nerve is pinched by the compressing vertebrae, the resulting pain can be ongoing and debilitating. You can get a lot more than a back ache too when this happens. You can get headaches or neck pain that keeps you from moving normally. Chiropractors apply pressure on and near the spine to assist the vertebrae to decompress by loosening any tight muscles and ligaments. A chiropractor will also need you to assist in the treatment by doing stretching exercises at home to loosen up thoes tight muscles.
Avoid Back Breaking Labor
Posted on December 2, 2007
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Whenever you have back pain it does not matter what you do the pain signals that their is a major problem. You do not have to be doing back breaking labor, even small movements hurt. If you have determined that your back pain is not due to vertebrae or disc problems, the best way to deal with the persistant pain is to exercise. You need to do at least regular light exercise, otherwise your back muscles become weak. Just try lifting a heavy box and you’ll find out exactly how weak your back muscles have become over time.
There are a number of important muscles in your back. The latissimus dorsi is a muscle that starts in the middle of the spinal column and runs up to the shoulder. Other major muscle groups related to the back include the rhomboids, supraspinatus, thoracolumbar fascia and the obliques. Any or all of these muscles can be injured at the one time. Regular exercise of your back muscles will strengthen them and assist you carry out your daily activities with ease. An added benefit will be better posture and lot less pain.
What Are Erector Spinae?
Posted on December 1, 2007
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The erector spinae are muscles that run along each side of the spinal column. If you were to injure these muscles, it will really hurt. To control the pain in these muscles it is best to use exercises that target thes muscles. Many people forget the importance of toning up their back muscles when they exercise. They quite often work their arms, legs and abdomens but leavetheir all important back muscles out of the picture.
Exercises that are useful for work on your back muscles include the deadlift, the pelvic lift, the barbell bent row, the leg lift buttock tightener and the double leg lifts. By the sound of the names of these exercises you could get the impression they’re meant for bodybuilders or weightlifters, however, they are perfect for anyone. It is not necessary to use heavy weights. You can use anything, even a phone book if you desire. The important point is you must be sure to include your back muscles in a regular exercise program if you want to avoid painful sprains, pulls or tears.