Fitness And Health

Posts Tagged ‘back pain’

Chronic back pain is one of the most vexing problems that you can have.  Not being able to find comfort in any position and the resulting problems.

You can work on back pain by helping your back get stronger and healthier.  Remember pain pills are ok to take if you really need them but they don’t solve the underlying problem.

You can begin to address the problem by noticing your posture and beginning to correct it when it is poor.  Massage is good.  Getting your back more flexible can also help, check out: Kundalini Yoga.  There are also more traditional exercises – there is a good video at the end of this post that you should watch.  These are just a couple of ideas to help resolve your back problems.

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power

Exercises to Reduce Back Pain : Exercises for Back Pain Relief: The Bird Dog

Resistance Training Eases Low Back Pain « Intuitive Wellness

Did you know that low back pain is second only to the common cold in reasons patients visit their doctors. It is the 6th most costly medical condition in the United States, the second leading cause of disability, and the number one …

How to Prevent Back Pain | Yoga Ride

You know what it’s like when your back is hurting. It becomes challenging to do most anything, even simple things we take for granted like walking, running, and climbing stairs. Grocery shopping, runs to the post office and just being …

FSHL Blog » Blog Archive » Acupuncture Relieves Back Pain

Low back pain is one the most common complaints doctors hear. Yes, that annoying chronic back pain you get after a long day at work. I’m pretty sure you’d wish to get rid of it and feel relieved at long last. No one wants it, …

Holistic Healers Know Back Pain Relief | stotsindia.org

There are so many people looking for back pain relief these days that back pain is one of the largest epidemics the world has seen. It causes loss of productivity more than any other condition known. And, this does not need to be. …

Related articles on back pain

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By Mark Bromson, MD

Many patients come to me seeking pain relief. Whether it is back pain, neck and shoulder pain, or arthritis pain, my patients need solutions. Sometimes, the solution involves treating an underlying condition and putting an end to the pain. Sometimes, it means learning to manage chronic pain over the long term. Often, it simply means offering quick relief so people can get on with daily life. It’s this third solution that we’ll be discussing today.

Pain and Your Nerves

A back injury may be very different from chronic arthritis, but these conditions are similar in one aspect: both trigger a series of exchanges between the three major parts of your nervous system. These exchanges or messages are relayed through the body by neurons, the billions of cells that make up the nervous system. The result is the sensation you know as pain.

Here’s how it works: Pain begins with the peripheral nerves. They extend from your skin, muscles and internal organs to your spinal cord. These nerves may be sensitive to touch, movement and temperature changes. When these nerves are stimulated, they send pain messages in the form of electrical impulses to your spinal cord. In the spinal cord, which is the second major part of the nervous system, chemicals called neurotransmitters are released. These activate yet another group of nerve cells, which relay the message to the brain.

In the brain, which is the third area of the nervous system, the message is received by the thalamus. From there, specific messages are sent to the parts of the brain responsible for physical, emotional and intellectual reactions. As a result, you feel the pain in your body, you react emotionally based on your past experience, and you understand the idea of pain and begin, no doubt, to think of ways to alleviate it.

Getting Fast Relief

Now that you know pain begins with the nerves, you can target them directly to get relief. As I mentioned above, your peripheral nerves are responsive to the sensations of hot and cold. If you take advantage of this, you can prevent the pain message from reaching the brain by masking it with a different message.

The key is to use topical treatments with ingredients that can distract your nervous system from the pain you are experiencing. Sometimes called “counterirritants,” these substances are effective at providing temporary relief. Some highly potent ingredients to look for are menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, juniper berry oil and pine oil. The active ingredients listed on a product’s label will be present in the largest quantity in the medicine. Ideally, a mix of menthol and camphor should appear on this list.

These pain-masking ingredients can penetrate the skin and trigger a response in the nerves. Menthol, for example, will result in a cooling sensation when the nerve impulses reach the brain. Other substances produce hot sensations. Capsaicin creams, in particular, are made from chile peppers and deprive nerve cells of a substance needed for sending pain messages.

I often recommend topical pain relievers like I described above to my patients. These highly effective counterirritants will not permanently alleviate pain, but they provide temporary relief that is vital to those suffering from chronic conditions. Often, people use these products when they are waiting for other medications to begin working.

There are many ways to deal with pain. Only you and your doctor can determine the best plan to suit your individual needs. If topical counterirritants become part of your treatment plan, they should provide a welcome dose of relief just when you need it most.

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/pain-management-symptoms-types

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain/PN00017

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/pain-relievers

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/PN/00041.html

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/brain/2.asp

[Mark Bromson, MD, is a nutritional consultant for Vitalmax Vitamins. He is presently a practicing orthopedic surgeon in South Florida. His extensive medical education includes a biology degree from Harvard College, a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Miami. Dr. Bromson is actively involved in the advancement of alternative medicine and its role in nutrition, exercise and the musculoskeletal system. To learn more, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.