Top 5 reasons why you may be experiencing back pain

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Our spine is an integral part of any movement: sitting, standing, lifting, walking etc. The spine is a complex, yet fascinating structure. It is made up of 33 bones, 23 discs, 31 pairs of nerves and a supporting structure of soft muscle tissues which distributes the load on your spine.

With so many complex structural elements, there can be 100 reasons for your pain. Sadly, 85 per cent of patients are unable to identify the root cause of their pain. Such cases are labelled as non-specific back pain.
The good news is that with technological advances and the invention of the Digital Spine Analysis, spine specialists are able to identify the root cause of back pain more accurately.

Let us look at the top 5 reasons why you may be experiencing back pain:

Wrong posture puts too much load on your spine:
We spend over 3/4th of our day sitting. Sitting increases pressure on your spine by more than 200%! In fact, any prolonged posture e.g. standing, sitting for too long, excessive time spent on laptop & phone etc. is the primary cause of back pain in most individuals. Here is a helpful chart on how to correct posture significantly reduces the load on your spine thereby reducing your risk of spine damage.

Tip: Take posture breaks every half an hour to keep your spine healthy

Your muscle health is deteriorating:
Your spine is made up of bones, nerves, discs & soft muscle tissues. The soft muscle tissues bear 70% of your body weight thereby reducing the load on your bones & discs. There are many factors like sedentary lifestyle, genetics, overloading, postures, lack of nutrition, injury, inflammatory diseases, and lack of circulation that can lead to muscle degeneration.

Tip: Unlike discs or bones, the soft muscle tissue can be regenerated at any age with a precise and guided spine rehabilitation programme. 85% of the cases of back pain are mechanical in nature, so there is a good chance you can save your spine from further damage if identified in time.

Your discs are degenerating or injured:
Your disc is a jelly-like structure made up of 80% water. Ageing, lack of nutrition, wear & tear, dehydration, lifestyle, smoking and trauma can cause wear & tear or degeneration of the discs.

Tip: There are stages to disc degeneration and not all stages require surgery. If identified on time, intervertebral disc tissues can be treated without surgery.

You have had a recent injury or strain:
Heavy lifting, repeated bending/twisting can put a strain on your back. Sports or Gym injuries can cause muscle tear and are also common reasons for a back pain. You can prevent this by using adequate back support and practising correct bending postures.

Tip: When in pain, do not take a painkiller or balm. Daily use of painkillers merely postpones your treatment. Isolation technology can help you target and rebuild muscle tissue 3 times faster than conventional physiotherapy.

There is constant pressure on your nerves:
Disc pressure, bone structure or other soft tissue changes in your back lead to excess pressure or impingement of your nerves which can be very painful.

Tip: If you experience back or neck pain along with pain radiating to your arms or legs, you must contact a spine specialist immediately.

Article by Dr Garima Anandani, Senior Spine Specialist & Clinical Director, QI Spine Clinic

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