Back pain (also known "dorsalgia") is pain felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.
The pain may have a sudden onset or it can be a chronic pain, it can be felt constantly or intermittently, stay in one place or refer or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be felt in the neck (and might radiate into the arm and hand), in the upper back, or in the low back, (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.
Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Herniated Disc - Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis

Herniated discs are extremely common spinal injuries. Herniated disc disease is due to a change in the structure of normal glass. Most of the time, disc disease occurs as a result of ageing and degeneration, that within the disc. Occasionally, severe trauma can lead to a normal CD to herniate. Trauma can also cause a herniated disc to deteriorate. They occur when the thick outer layer (annulus fibrosus) an intermediate spinal discs spinal disc bulges or breaks. Sometimes, the gel-like interior of the disc (nucleus pulposus) will actually break through the outer layer and leak into the body. This is seen as broken or extruded plates disc.

Some herniated disc can be painful. The most common signs and symptoms of a disc drive incident are:

- Sciatica - a brilliant, aching pain, sometimes with tingling and numbness, which begins in the Gesa and extends from the back of one leg

- pain, numbness or weakness feeling in the lower back and a leg, or in the neck, shoulder, chest or arm

- Low back pain worsened, that if you sit down, cough or sneeze

Several risk factors make you more susceptible to a herniated disc drive:

- Age: Herniated disks are most common in middle age (after completion of 60 years) due to ageing Degeneration of the disks.

- Smoking tobacco smoke increases the risk of a hard disk herniation, because it decreases oxygen in the blood, so that your body tissues of vital nutrients.

- Weight: Excess body weight caused additional burden on the hard disks in the lower back.

- Diabetes: Diabetes can lead to depletion of oxygen in the blood, thereby spinal disks herniation and vulnerable to disease.

- professions, the load on the spine: physical work (such as lifting, pulling, pushing, etc.), such as agriculture, concrete reinforcements, lumber, work the quarry, food packaging, warehousing and trucking. Sitting or standing in a position to increase the risk of hard herniation.

The medical diagnosis, by entering methods:

� X-ray - High-energy radiation is used to take pictures of the spine.

� Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - An MRI provides detailed images of the spine, with a powerful magnet in conjunction with a computer.

� Computed Tomography (CT) scan - A CT scan uses a thin X-ray beam, revolves around the spine. A computer processing data to construct a three-dimensional, cross-sectional image.

� electromyography (EMG) - This test measures muscle response to nervous stimulation.

 

For more details please visit at http://www.spinesurgery-wecareindia.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pankaj_R_Nagpal

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