How Men can Deal with Low Back Pain
Most Men Suffer from Acute Back Pain at Some Stage of Their Lives
Mar 1, 2009
Acute Low Back Pain is defined as pain localized to the lumbar region (the lower part of the spine) which has lasted for less than three months. In most cases, this type of low back pain resolves over a few weeks – although this can vary widely from person to person. Once patients recover, episodes of pain can recur on one or more occasions.
In about 95% of these cases it’s not possible to pinpoint what exactly caused the pain – although it is quite rare for the pain to be due to a serious medical problem. The good news is that it is not necessary to know the specific cause of the pain to manage it effectively.
The latest guidelines from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council for managing this type of pain convey two important messages:
- Xrays are seldom required to manage low back pain effectively
- Remaining active is the best way of reducing pain and disability
Why Xrays do not help
Traditionally, many patients who experience an episode of low back pain consult their doctors expecting to have an Xray done, and to be told to rest in bed until the pain resolves. Part of the problem is that patients often are not aware of the limitations of plain Xrays – which are useful in identifying problems in the bones, but cannot identify any defects in soft tissues like muscles or ligaments (where most low back pain originates). What the latest research studies have shown is that Xrays very seldom add any useful information to what a good GP can find out by listening to the patient’s story of the onset and nature of the pain, and performing a proper physical examination.
As far as patients who suffer an acute episode of pain in the lower back are concerned, what is important is that they consult their doctor and work with him or her to manage the pain and minimize recurrence. After listening to your version of how the pain developed, the nature and severity of the pain, what aggravates and relieves it, what if any accompanying features are present - and examining you to look for those rare conditions, like bone cancer and slipped discs, that may be responsible for the pain, your doctor will have a good idea that your pain falls into the category that will get better over a few weeks.
Staying Active
It is important to resume normal activities as soon as possible (with or without the help of pain relieving measures such as tablets, massage, or application of heat and physiotherapy), because staying active helps to prevent long term problems.
Some ‘red flags’ that may indicate rare but serious problems are continuity of the pain (a severe pain that persists throughout the day and night, in contrast to one that is aggravated by certain movements, could indicate deposits of cancer in the spine, particularly if there is unexplained weight loss, pain in several sites or a previous history of a tumour) and pain associated with other symptoms (pain running along the back of the leg towards the foot could be caused by pressure on the nerve roots).
The vast majority of cases of acute low back pain, however originate from the muscles or the ligaments - and can be efficaciously treated without resorting to Xrays or confining oneself to bed.
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