BACK PAIN: EXAMINATION II

One of the common consequences of untreated back pain is radiculopathy or sciatica. The more common word that most people use wrongly to describe sciatica is rheumatism. The word rheumatism is most often used for all painful muscle processes in which the origin of the pain is unknown.

It is often times referred to complaint of people which sometimes are manifested as painful points and at other times as radiating pain which darts about mostly in the muscles of the back and legs or muscles of the neck and arms and of course lacks the classic symptoms of rheumatism such as swelling, reddening, warmth except pain.

So, pain alone is not sufficiently accurate enough to describe the problems at the back and the radiating pain to the leg or arm as rheumatism.

Moreover, the term is completely inaccurate either since it does not reflect changes in the blood count, the presence of rheumatoid factor in the blood or acceleration of blood sedimentation which are the typical symptoms of a genuine rheumatic disease.

Sciatica is a problem or condition associated to nerve roots. The name is taken after the longest nerve in the body which starts from the waist through the buttocks to the legs; once there is a problem with this nerve it will cause pain.

The pain starts at the lower back {waist}. The pain may start suddenly especially when caused by a slipped disc or it may creep upon the person slowly as a dull annoying ache. At first the pain comes and goes. The pain is usually intensified by stooping, sitting, walking or any movement of the spine.

It is relieved by lying on the bed. Later the pain is there all the time and spreads to the buttock as a deep annoying ache which feels as if it would disappear when massaged. Unfortunately, massaging does not relieve the pain, pressing the buttock does not relieve the pain either.

Soon after, the pain shoots into the legs down to the feet. This is made worse sometimes by sneezing and coughing or increased laughter.

The effects of prolonged back pain shall be elaborately explained according to the three common areas of pain in the back {neck, mid-back, and low back}. You may be a victim or potential victim of any of the three region of pain or all.