Key advice on how to deal with back pain

Is back pain stopping you from fully enjoying life? Here Mr Mike Katsimihas, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Spinal Centre at BMI Bath Clinic, offers his advice.

Often, back pain is a result of strains and minor injuries, rather than something more serious. Most cases of back pain will get better over time and won’t require surgery.

But it can have a significant impact on your day-to-day life.

Not only can your normal daily activities become difficult, but if your symptoms persist for a long period of time, chronic pain can affect your mood too.

With this in mind, it’s important to be aware that the earlier you begin treatment, including taking steps to help yourself, the quicker you can get back to enjoying life.

Symptoms

Back pain differs from person to person. Common symptoms can be felt as a dull ache or, contrastingly, a sharp shooting pain, depending on the cause.

Symptoms can also include muscular spasm and leg pain or leg numbness/weakness. It is always worth seeing a qualified professional to investigate the cause of your pain.

Seek help immediately should you experience difficulty urinating, a lack of bladder/bowel control, numbness in the saddle area, weakness in both legs or severe unremitting pain that gets worse.

Causes

It’s very difficult to attribute back pain to one specific cause.

Sometimes it can be a result of simply ‘overdoing it’ or lifting incorrectly which can cause muscle or ligament injuries.

Other times, it can occur as part of the ageing process or from degenerative conditions, such as arthritis. The stiffness associated with arthritis can reduce the movement of your spine and may cause you to experience pain.

Having poor posture whilst sitting in front of a computer or driving for long hours can also be the cause.

Common conditions

Herniated cervical disc - when a disc between the vertebrae breaks down and pushes against the nerves or spinal cord.

Sciatica - a pain down your leg which is caused from pressure on a nerve where it leaves your spine. Sciatica can occur when a disc becomes worn and bulges.

Spinal stenosis - where the space in the centre of the spine narrows, trapping nerves which can cause weakness or pain in your legs.

Scoliosis - an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. Managing pain

There are some things you can do to help prevent back pain, such as improving your posture and range of movement, as well as adjusting the way you sit.

However, the most effective way to prevent back pain is to maintain a good level of exercise.

The good news is that many back problems won’t require surgery.

If your symptoms aren’t improving, however, then it’s best to get a firm diagnosis, which can not only help to resolve your issue, but can help you return to your normal activities as soon as possible.

To book an appointment with the Spinal Centre at BMI Bath Clinic, call 0808 101 0337 or visit www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/bath.