Back Pain? Start understanding it here:
Are you feeling back pain right now? Read on to help you understand where your back pain might be coming from, and how to best relay what you’re feeling to your medical provider…
Back pain affects at least two thirds of Americans, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) from a survey performed in 2012.
In the same study, the APTA found that nearly 72 percent of Americans use pain medication to help relieve their pain, and that most Americans are more focused on their symptoms rather than the cause of their symptoms.
When patients can understand where their pain is coming from and can describe their pain, their ability to manage that pain is improved.
There is an empowering feeling when you understand what is happening when you experience pain, to be able to seek the correct help you need, and describe what is happening, because pain is scary.
The first and most important thing to recognize is whether or not your back pain is ‘radiating.’
What I mean by that: is your pain moving away from your back into your arms? Your legs?
Do you feel numbness or tingling in your arms, hands, legs, or feet? Does it feel different to the touch along certain spots?
Do you feel weak with certain movements, like holding a bag of groceries? How about picking things up, or walking up and down stairs? Does it feel like you’re standing in the sun and getting a sunburn?
If so, then it might be nerve related. How so, you ask?
Your nerves exit the spinal cord behind your vertebrae. Inflammation from a traumatic event, or changes in your spine can compress the nerve, causing what you’re feeling in your arms and legs.
Long term compression of the nerve due to inflammation or changes in your spine can be potentially dangerous, resulting in permanent weakness and changes in sensation.
Second: If you don’t feel it with movement, do you feel it with rest?
Feeling throbbing, numbness, tingling, or consistent pain at rest is another signal that your pain might be nerve related.
Third: Do you feel it with movement?
Do you experience pain with any specific types of movement? Bending down? Leaning back? Sitting? Standing? Turning one way versus the other?
This can be another cue as to what is causing your discomfort: If it hurts when you move, but stays in the same spot, it might be muscular.
Be aware: if you are feeling nerve related symptoms with any specific types of movements, it may clue your provider into where your discomfort is coming from!
Fourth: Approaching the correct provider
I’m not going to lie — I am biased. A physical therapist should be your first option. Why?
We are well equipped to use the information you give us, in conjunction with an evaluation, to determine whether or not you should go on to see a specialist.
In many cases, there are studies that show Physical Therapy is a cost efficient use of your money and time.
Like I said, I’m biased.
Is your pain severe? So bad that you cannot move your arms or legs? Get out of bed? Can’t feel fingers, arms, legs, or toes?
A spine specialist or orthopedist could be your best bet. Sure, they might refer you back to a physical therapist when all is said and done, but they can also get a better sense of what is going on through imaging, like an MRI.
You must also remember that as a patient, you are always entitled to a second opinion from another provider.
Either way, both practitioners are on the same team. We are in it to help you, the patient, feel better.
Please share this article with your friends or family that have back pain. And if you have questions or want more material, it’s only a click away!
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