How to Treat Low Back Pain, a Common Complaint Among Office Workers

How to Treat Low Back Pain, a Common Complaint Among Office Workers

Most people will have back discomfort at some point in their lives. The lower back, sometimes referred to as the lumbar region, is the region behind the abdomen that extends from the ribs to the pelvis.
The pandemic's primary source of work disruption is back discomfort. Without a comfy chair to work from at home, lower back pain is undoubtedly a possibility.
Low back discomfort frequently results from a strain injury and is typically self-limiting. Low back pain can be treated in a variety of ways. The following are the warning signs, symptoms, causes, and necessary treatments for low back pain:

1. Recognizing
Low back pain, also known as lower back pain, is a condition in which there is pain or discomfort in the lower back, extending from the folds beneath the buttocks to the bottom of the ribs but without radiating to the legs. Low back discomfort can decrease lumbar mobility, causing movement restrictions and interference with activities if it is not adequately addressed.

2. Symptoms and Signs
Lower back pain can range in intensity from minor to severe. A quick onset of this disease is also possible, as well as a sluggish onset that feels like it comes and goes but steadily worsens over time.

 

Symptoms can manifest in several ways depending on the underlying cause of the pain, such as:

• Lower back pain or aches and pains

• Numbness or tingling may accompany stabbing, scorching pain that radiates from the lower back down the back of the thigh and occasionally down the lower leg or foot (sciatica pain)

• Muscle cramps and rigidity in the hips, pelvis, and lower back

• Pain that gets worse after extended periods of sitting or standing

• Difficulty walking, standing up straight, or transitioning from a standing to a sitting position

 

In addition, the symptoms of low back pain also differ according to the severity, namely:

• Acute low back pain: usually comes on suddenly and lasts for days or weeks. This condition is considered a normal response of the body to injury or tissue damage. The pain gradually subsides as the body heals.

• Subacute low back pain: generally lasts between 6 weeks and 3 months and is usually of a mechanical nature (such as muscle strain or joint pain) but prolonged. At this point, medical examination may be considered, and is recommended if the pain is severe and interferes with activities.

• Chronic low back pain: lasting more than 3 months, this type of pain is common severe, do not respond to initial treatment, and require a thorough medical examination to determine the exact source of pain.

 

3. Cause

Here are some causes of low back pain:

The most common cause of low back pain is a torn or pulled muscle or ligament.

This can be in the form of a lower back sprain or strain it can occur suddenly, or it can develop slowly over time due to repetitive motions.

Strains occur when a muscle is stretched too far and tears, damaging the muscle itself. It can also be due to sprains which occur when overstretching and tearing affects the ligaments, which connect bones together.

The sprains and strains that trigger lower back pain can be caused by a number of factors such as:

• Lifting heavy objects, or twisting the spine while lifting

• Sudden movements that put too much stress on the lower back, such as falling

• Bad posture from time to time

• Sports injuries, particularly in sports involving high twisting or impact forces

In addition, pain is considered chronic once it lasts more than three months and exceeds the body's natural healing process. Chronic pain in the low back often involves disc problems, joint problems, and/or irritated nerve roots.

A number of conditions that cause are:

• Lumbar disc herniation

• Degenerative disc disease

• Joint dysfunction

• Spinal stenosis.

• Spondylolisthesis

• Osteoarthritis

• deformity

• Trauma

• Compression fracture

• Infection

• Tumors

• Autoimmune disease

 

4. Handling

Usually, low back pain will improve with bed rest, medication (medicine), installation of braces (lumbar corset), and physiotherapy, only about 1-2% require surgery.

Surgery will be carried out especially in conditions of herniation (HNP) or decreased motor and sensory function of the lower limbs.

 

When low back pain, physiotherapy is a treatment that is often recommended for all ages. The aim is to maintain, improve, restore function, and dependency when individuals experience movement and function impairments or problems caused by physical damage.

In conditions of low back pain, the role of physiotherapy is to reduce pain, increase the elasticity of the back muscles, restore functional activity using the modalities owned.

Often someone who has experienced low back pain will be affected again at a later date. This occurs due to weakness of the back and abdominal muscles after low back pain.

It is the weakness of the lower back muscles that triggers pain in the future.

Exercise therapy are certain movements designed to retrain the strength of the back and abdominal muscles, so that they return to their elasticity. Movements or exercises are adjusted to the causative factors of low back pain, inappropriate movements can exacerbate complaints and the patient's condition.