Back Pain Part 1

Back PainBack pain is one of the most common medical problems in America (National Library of Medicine, 2001). Eight out of ten people will experience back pain at some point in their life (American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2001b). Back pain is ranked second only to headaches as the most frequent location of pain (Mayo Clinic, 2000).
Approximately 12 million visits are made to physicians’ offices each year for back pain problems (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2001); mostly for lower back problems, since this part of the
back bears the most weight and stress (Mayo Clinic, 2000). Fortunately, nine out of ten acute back
injuries will heal on their own within 8 to 12 weeks (Kemper, 1997). If not taken seriously, however, back pain can last for a long time, and can become disabling (National Library of Medicine, 2001). Though back pain is rarely life-threatening, estimates of its total cost to society range from $20-60 billion annually in the United
States (Mayo Clinic, 1997; University of Washington Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, 2002; ). With such numbers in mind, it may be surprising that with exercise, weight management, and a few simple postural techniques, you can ward off back pain. Even if you’ve injured your back before, you can learn techniques to help avoid re-injury
In this issue of HealthHints we will look at:
• some common causes of back pain, and
• techniques for preventing and treating back pain.

Your Back

The back has three primary parts, the:
1 backbone or spine (also referred to as the spinal column or vertebral column),
2 back muscles, and
3 nerves or spinal cord.
Backbone
The backbone is actually not one long bone, but 24 separate bones called vertebrae as well as the sacrum and
coccyx (also called the tailbone). The vertebrae are stacked one on top of the other to form the backbone or spine. The points where two vertebrae or bones fit together are called joints (University of Washington, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, 2002). The joints make it possible for the spine to move and turn in different directions. Soft discs (made of fibrous, elastic cartilage) separate each vertebrae, allowing the spine to bend and flex, and act as shock absorbers, cushioning the hard vertebrae as we move (Mayo Clinic, 1997). The spine is joined to the pelvis, or hip, by the sacroiliac joints, which unlike most joints,
are fixed and do not move (National Library of Medicine, 2001).
Back Muscles
The muscles of the back are attached to the spine (National Library of Medicine, 2001). There are 40 muscles and numerous connecting tendons (fastening muscles to the vertebrae) and ligaments (tough fibrous bands holding the vertebrae together) running from the base of the skull to the tailbone (Mayo Clinic, 1997).
Nerves
In addition to bones and muscles, there are 31 pairs of nerves in the back ((Mayo Clinic, 1997), which make up the spinal cord. These nerves connect the brain to the rest of the body. The vertebrae protect the nerves of the spinal cord. The nerves branch off from the spinal cord carrying instructions to the organs, muscles, and limbs. They also carry sensations, such as pain from different parts of the body to the brain (National
Library of Medicine, 2001).