Overcoming Back Pain Regardless of your age or job description, the probability of suffering back pain caused by a disc herniation is tremendously high. Your lack of knowledge or disregard for proper techniques in normal daily routines will expose you to back issues. By preventing an injury to the disc, you could prolong your athletic life, maintain job security, and relief psychological instability. Tanya, a 38 year old female, visited a family physician in response to left lower back pain. She had never envisioned a visit to the clinic and the thought of an injury was alarming. All throughout her life, she was healthy and active. Would this injury inhibit her tasks as a mother, wife, employee, athlete, and musician? Before the back pain, she was a shipping coordinator at a furniture company for over 8 years and had performed the same daily tasks since the first day of work. Besides the regular job tasks involving work inside of the office, she had to transport a few small shipping packages to her office. She believes the initial pain occurred when she lifted a shipping package. The prognosis of her injury was not promising and a magnetic resonance imaging exam diagnosed her with a lumbar disc herniation. The back pain was caused by a slippage of the spine’s disc. Was the injury her fault? Could it have been avoided or was she at the stage of her life when wear and tear degenerate the body? Nevertheless, the pain in her back was unbearable and an injection into the spine was administered to diminish the swelling and relief her of the pain. After a year into her recovery process, she is still mentally troubled by the injury. The physical pain is absent but the psychological distress overshadows many tasks. She worries of an aggravation of the herniation and has not been able to perform many responsibilities and hobbies from her past. Tanya is a victim of back problems due to a lack of knowledge in proper form and technique in lifting objects.
It is vital to understand the anatomy of a herniated disc before tackling the prevention and treatment of the injury. The human back is composed of many components that regulate mobility and general function of the body. The vertebral column, commonly called the spine, permits humans to stand upright. Also, it protects the spinal cord and the primary nerves located within the cord. The spine is composed of bones called vertebrae, and between each vertebra is a round flat pancake-like disc. In the middle of the disc is a hole with a large diameter, and the opening houses a liquid gel called the nucleus pulposus. The gel distributes pressure to all parts within the disc to allow for the absorbance of shock and cushion. The gel is forced out of the disc when a crack or tear occurs. This was the case of the woman. Her disc in the lower back had cracked and the gel oozed out. Thus, the disc slips and a herniation develops. The pain is caused by the released gel coming into contact with the nerve inside the spinal cord. Avoidance of the pain begins with prevention of disc tears. By not allowing the gel to escape the interior of the disc, one is able to avoid a disc slippage and therefore live a healthy life. A herniated disc is treated by thinning the inflammation caused by contact between the escaped gel and nerve. After treatment, the disc can be moved back into position.
The general population has heard of eating right from an early age. However, it is not stressed enough how important a diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, and lean protein such as fish, chicken, and beans is towards limiting disc degeneration. Prevention of cartilage damage begins when the body sustains proper levels of Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins C (found in strawberries, oranges, and most fruit/vegetables), Vitamin D (eggs, fish, dairy products), and Vitamin E (nuts, spinach) as well as minerals like glucosamine (crustaceans like shrimp have it) and chondroitin (chicken cartilage contains it) reverse