The Back Pain Cycle

If you have back pain that has continued for at least 3 to months, than you have what is considered “chronic back pain”. Usually, this type of pain can come from repetitive strain or injuries that occur at work, or from a trauma or accident that affects the vertebrae. “The spine can be viewed as one unit (which is flexible). If an individual vertebrae act differently than the rest, damage can occur. “ says Dr. Tuchinsky from Weston, Fl.

The most common causes of back pain are the conditions of your workplace. This is because of the repetitive nature of certain jobs, which could make you push yourself beyond normal limitations. This could put you at great risk for back injuries. Usually, there is a lack of training and supervision in regards to these issues, and competitiveness can sometimes take over.

The Back Pain Cycle
It is also important to understand that back pain is cumulative, thus it can get worse over time. When researching cumulative pain disorders, it is very important to fully understand the “pain cycle”.

Pain is merely a signal to the body that something isn’t right! Please note that some patients will tend to associate back pain with muscle spasms. Spasms are different in that they are a response to pain. For example, let’s say a disk or joint becomes damaged. At this point, a signal is sent to the brain in the form of pain. The brain then responds to this stimulus by telling the muscle to contract so that it can prevent any further damage…especially during movement.

If the muscle contracts for a long period of time, decreased circulation will be experienced. This is the beginning of the cycle which creates more pain (or stiffness), thus sending another response to the brain. The big takeaway here is that motion and circulation are very important to remaining healthy.

Now, continued misuse of an area can cause trauma to the point where inflammation can occur. If this results in a loss of motion (or limited motion), than the area will fail to receive the proper nutrition. This is bad because the area may now be susceptible to disease, rupture or subluxation. Basically, make sure to treat you muscles with care by maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise and proper weight.

Trigger Points
Something to pay attention to when discussing back pain are the occurrence of trigger points. These can occur in the back or hips, and are characterized by tenderness of certain muscles. This can occur when lactic acid or histamine (which are waste products) are not eliminated of properly. Also, trigger points can transfer pain from one area to another…or remain independent.

Trigger points can cause a great deal of problems for the back, however it can sometimes be tough to identify the problem do to the transference of pain to another region. For example, a worker may develop an issue in his lower back and experience pain in his left leg. For this type of pain, the person will need the proper diagnosis to be treated correctly.

For more details on diagnosis of your back pain, please contact Dr. Tuchinsky at his Weston FL practice at 954-895-7896, or visit his website at www.drtuchinsky.com. Dr. Tuchinsky has successfully treated many patients with a variety of conditions, from young kids to the elderly, as well as professional athletes. He is dedicated to diagnosing the source of the pain and prescribing the most effective solutions for his patients.