Low back pain, also known as lumbago, hexenschuss, and witch stab, is one of the major health problems nowadays.
What Is It?
The spine is consisted of 33 vertebrae (12 thoracic, 7 cervical, 5 sacrum, 5 lumbar, and 4 coccyx), which are connected to many nerves, muscles, ligaments, and blood vessels, holding the body together.
The nerve roots of the arms and legs, and the spinal cord pass through the canal within the spine which allows us an upright posture.
Given that the spine is in charge of many functions, it is exposed to mechanical action of the load at all times. It is exposed to bending, shear, twisting, pressure, and train, all of which may lead to overuse.
Different parts of the spine are characterized with different range of motion. For instance, the neck has high mobility while the chest part is significantly less mobile. Transition between one to another part of the spine may lead to degenerative changes, which are actually the major sources of pain.
Risk Category
Degenerative and congenital anomalies o the spine after injury or operation are the major causes of low back pain. However, sedentary jobs, osteoporosis, and difficult physical jobs may also be the cause.
Most Common Causes of Low Back Pain
- Back muscle strain ( lifting a a heavy object, twisting, or a sudden movement)
- Lumbar herniated disc
- Degenerative disc disease
Symptoms of Low Back Pain
- Muscle spasms
- Local soreness upon touch
- Difficulty moving that can be severe
- Pain that is usually worse after long periods of standing still or sitting
Treatment and Prevention
The herb called comfrey, which is found on wet ditches near water, meadows, and fields, is one of the things that can make life easier to people suffering from back pain.
Experts at the German Sports University have done a research involving 120 participants with lower and upper back pain in order to test the efficacy of comfrey root extract. The results which showed that this extract helped them manage and heal their back pain were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The researchers rubbed 4 g of ointment on the patients` back three times daily over the course of five days. Half of them used ointment containing comfrey root extract while half of them didn’t. No one knew which group received comfrey root ointment and which group were getting the placebo.
The comfrey root extract proved to be extremely effective in reducing back pain. Earlier studies have also found that it works against other type of pain, such as osteoarthritis and dislocation of joints in the knee.
