Almost all of us have experienced back pain at least once. It can be described as an ache, dull or sharp, occurring in the back. It may sometimes radiate down to the legs and buttocks. Though back pain is a common health condition, it can cause significant discomfort. That’s why it is crucial to understand this condition, its symptoms, causes, therapy, and prevention.

Symptoms
Back pain can occur in a person’s spine, discs, ligaments, muscles, or tendons. The symptoms of back pain may occur suddenly or progress gradually. Some common signs include dull pain, stiffness, shooting or stabbing pain, hearing a ‘pop’ sound while bending your back, and experiencing postural problems, strain, or muscle spasms.

Causes
Back pain may occur due to a range of reasons. These may include these diseases, conditions, and injuries like fractures in the spinal bones after a fall or car crash, strains, and sprains due to lifting heavy things. Sudden twisting or bending movements may also lead to strains. Conditions such as herniated disk also cause back pain . It occurs when disks bulge from their position and press on the neighboring nerves. Other causes of backaches include inflammation or stiffness due to arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, spinal tumors and cancers, abdominal aortic aneurysm and kidney stones, spinal stenosis, which may cause structural problems with the spine, postural problems, chronic stress and anxiety, pregnancy, and related weight gain.

Therapy
Back pain usually improves with simple, non-invasive treatment options like NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory prescriptions), muscle relaxants, opioids, topical ointments and rubs, corticosteroid injections in the spinal epidural space, physical therapy, and exercise. In some instances, your back pain may require surgical intervention. Options may include microdiscectomy, laminectomy, spinal fusion, and vertebroplasty.

Natural remedies

Besides these treatments, several natural remedies have proven to relieve symptoms. These include avoiding prolonged sitting or standing in the same posture, taking a warm shower, enjoying a restful night’s sleep, complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, massage, Tai chi, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and cognitive behavioral therapy, massaging with a mix of camphor and coconut oil, using a cold compress or ice pack. Oil massage with essential oils like eucalyptus oil or epsom salts to your bath water helps relieve back pain. Furthermore, vitamin D supplements help in better calcium absorption and improving bone strength.

Foods to have and avoid
There is a stronger connection between your food and your back pain than you think. Several foods like sugary and starchy foods, refined grains, full-fat dairy, red meat, and foods with added colors, additives, and preservatives trigger inflammation and must be avoided. Instead, you can include these anti-inflammatory foods like fatty fish, nuts and seeds, turmeric, ginger, whole grains, red wine, grapes and berries, green tea, dark chocolate, and vegetables like carrots, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli in your meal plan to get long-term relief from aches.

Chronic back pain can have a significant impact on your lifestyle habits. You can easily manage this painful condition by knowing its causes and symptoms and seeking early medical help.