subject: Reasons Why Many People Get Low Back Pain [print this page] Reasons Why Many People Get Low Back Pain
A lot of people frequently make appointments with chiropractors complaining about low back pain or lumbago. According to several sources sixty-five million Americans suffer from back pain and thirty-one million Americans experience low back pain at any given time. There are indeed a lot of people suffering from low back pain.
I myself have suffered low back pain a couple of years ago. After only making several appointments with our local chiropractor and religiously committing to the regimen he prescribed to alleviate my debilitating condition such as avoiding strenuous physical activities and medication did my condition improved.
There are several reasons why many people get low back pain. In my case, it was both structural and brought about by my unhealthy lifestyle. I have scoliosis, and the underlying structural problem of my spine was aggravated by my unhealthy lifestyle, which brought about my chronic low back pain.
Other reasons why people get low back pain are: organic, such as herniated disks and Lumbar Degenerative Disk Disease; accidents that cause injury the spinal column, particularly the lower back; age (older people are more at risk than younger people); gender (females are more at risk than males); deliberate injury to the back or spine; stress that may be brought about by strenuous physical activities or may be work related; and living an unhealthy lifestyle. A study conducted by Mathew Reeves, a Michigan State University epidemiologist, finds that very few Americans are doing all they can to maintain a healthy lifestyle. People who smoke, people who are overweight, people who do not practice proper posture in their daily activities, and people who live a sedentary lifestyle are at risk developing low back pain. The USSG reports that about sixty five percent of Americans are overweight to obese. In a weekly report presented by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2004 to 2008, an estimated 20.8% of all adults (45.3 million people) smoke cigarettes in the United States.
Low back pain can be classified as Acute and Chronic. Acute low back pain may not last more than three months, while Chronic low back pain lasts more than twelve weeks. Acute low back pain can develop into Chronic low back pain depending on the risk factors present. Risk factors can include age, gender, stress, minimal physical activity, prior history of low back pain, and back injury.
Though low back pain is a debilitating condition, it is not without cure or remedy. Depending on the reason, help from chiropractors and orthopedic specialists or a change of lifestyle can cure low back pain. Alternative medicines such as Acupuncture and Structural Integration are gaining popularity. Already, a handful of people who have experienced these alternative therapies claim that they can cure low back pain.
