19/01/2022
BACK PAIN
Low back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days at work. It is also one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor's office or a hospital's emergency department. It is the second most common neurologic complaint.
For most people, even those with nerve root irritation, their symptoms will improve within two months no matter what treatment is used, even if no treatment is given.
Doctors usually refer to back pain as acute if it has been present for less than a month and chronic if it lasts for a longer period of time.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Pain in the lumbosacral area (lower part of the back) is the primary symptom of low back pain.
The pain may radiate down the front, side, or back of your leg, or it may be confined to the low back.
The pain may become worse with activity.
Occasionally, the pain may be worse at night or with prolonged sitting such as on a long car trip.
You may have numbness or weakness in the part of the leg that receives its nerve supply from a compressed nerve.
This can cause an inability to plantar flex the foot. This means you would be unable to stand on your toes or bring your foot downward. This occurs when the first sacral nerve is compressed or injured.
Another example would be the inability to raise your big toe upward. This results when the fifth lumbar nerve is compromised.
At Mombasa Physiocare, we will help you manage back pain with our Physiotherapy sessions.
