But it is important to note that in addition to the usual symptoms of pain, there are also back pains that are specific to women.
An Injured Back: A Typical Cause Of Back Pain In Women
Back injuries are some of the most common causes of back pain. These often occur when a woman performs an action using the back muscles (like lifting or pushing heavy objects) that she rarely does, or when she suffers a slip or fall, a direct blow to the back or head, a vehicular accident, or a penetration injury (like a stab wound).
Generally, there are two types of back injuries:
Spondylolisthesis. This is caused by a vertebra at the base of the spine that has slipped forward, backward, or over a bone found below it. Its symptoms include:
- Pain in the lower back
- Pain in the buttocks
- Pain that radiates down the legs
- Tightness, stiffness or weakness in muscle
Cervical Radiculopathy. This type of injury occurs when a root nerve close to the cervical vertebrae is compressed, resulting in damaged nerve function. Its symptoms include:
- Weakness in the muscles
- Tingling in the hands or fingers
- Lack of coordination
- Pain that spreads into the neck, chest, shoulders and/or arms
Other pains experienced by women
Aside from back ache caused by injuries, women can also suffer back tension due to conditions that naturally occur because of their biological make-up. Conditions involving the female reproductive system, such as pregnancy, ovarian cysts or cancer, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis can all contribute to the development of acute and chronic back ache in women.
Pregnancy, in particular, creates changes in a woman’s body that can directly cause discomfort to develop in her lower back:
– Postural changes to accommodate the growing baby in the womb can cause back strain
– The additional weight puts pressure on the back’s nerves and blood vessels
– A hormone called relaxin loosens the ligaments and joints in the back to prepare for birth, causing pain and instability
– The separation of the rectal abdominis muscles caused by the expansion of the uterus can cause back pain
– Even the emotional stress brought about by pregnancy can all lead to substantial back pain among women
When acute pain becomes chronic pain
To better address lower back tension, it’s essential to determine if the pain is classified as acute or chronic.
Acute pain is a sudden pain that tells your body that you’ve been hurt or injured. It starts suddenly and does not last long, often going away once the injury has healed.
Chronic pain, on the other hand, is pain that lasts for weeks, months, and even years. It is generally diagnosed after the person has been experiencing pain for three to six months.
What causes the change?
Acute pain can become chronic when a physiological condition causing the pain continues to exist or is unresolved. An example would be a woman suffering chronic pain caused by arthritis or cancer. However, there are also instances wherein there is no identifiable injury, disease or damage to the body that can be pinpointed as the cause of the chronic tension.
The best way for women to find relief from their chronic pain is to approach doctors and specialists who can recommend the best combination of therapies, medication and procedures for their specific conditions.
How to relieve back pain for the restoration of quality of life
Young and old individuals today can suffer from persistent tension which are brought about by various reasons. Young ones tend to suffer from back pains caused by physical injuries; meanwhile, older folks tend to experience pains in the back purely because their bodies have already gone through so much wear and tear, and ageing and weight issues contribute to the condition.
Whichever may be the actual cause of the pain in the back, one thing’s for sure: Back pain is a life downgrade. Mobility easily becomes an issue; there are so many seemingly trivial movements that become a great challenge to execute, and oftentimes, even sleep can be a pain.
What can you do?
One can choose to endure the tension and let the natural course of recovery happen. However, that can take a lot of time — time that could be better used for something more productive. Fortunately, a person does not need to rely solely on the body’s natural ability to heal because there are treatments available, from surgical ones, to natural healing methods, to alternative procedures.
Get professional help
If you’ve been suffering from persistent back tension that are already compromising your way of life, it’s best to have yourself checked by a medical professional as soon as possible; doing so will bring you closer to complete recovery, and you will also prevent whatever condition you have that’s causing thr pain from getting worse. If you want to know your options regarding how to relieve lumbar pain, your physician will advise you on the most suitable ones for the specific pain you’re suffering from.
The latest back pain treatment that most people are prescribed to get is actually a collection of various strategies. Pain rarely has a single solution, after all, and it’s no different with back pains; a programme will be created for both pain management and complete healing. There are different techniques applied to treat pain, restore original posture and build strength. Likewise, there are various therapeutic programmes to regain mobility or even just to manage accomplishing certain activities without requiring assistance – these programmes are most suitable for those recovering from an injury or a surgical procedure.
Now, if you’re suffering lower pelvic stress due to stress brought about by the demands of your work, don’t think that a specialised programme will not be created for you. The wear and tear the body sustains from daily activities also requires a specific acute back pain treatment which will be designed by your therapist. All pain treatments are designed to address the actual, specific needs of clients – this way, full recovery can be achieved much faster.
So if your pelvic ache is getting you down, have yourself diagnosed properly so you can get the treatment you need right away — there’s certainly to need to suffer for extended periods of time when an effective solution is available.
Yoga’s got your back – lower back pain exercises
Pain in the back is said to be one of life’s great levellers. It can happen to anyone – young, old, male, female, rich, poor, middle class. You can suffer from back pain even if you’re a strong, able-bodied, but sometimes over-trained athlete. You can get it even if you’re safely sitting at your desk all day and working on your computer all night. It attacks when you’re a young mum and you’re running after kids all day; it strikes when you’re supposed to be enjoying and just relaxing during your retirement years.
While lumbar pain is quite common, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to accept it as your “normal.” Everyone should be free from rigidity so they can continue to be productive and get to do activities and experiences that make life rewarding and more meaningful.
To address pain, it’s important to get help from a reputable back pain specialist who can create a personalised tension relief and back ache treatment just for you. Making some lifestyle changes can also help in reducing the discomfort. Doing lower back exercises is considered one of the most effective ways to ease the pressure off your pain points.
For a gentler yet impactful approach, try yoga – make it a part of your daily morning or end-of-day routine, and see how it can help through the following ways:
Regain strength. Many yoga positions strengthen back muscle, in a gentle, gradual way, helping you avoid too much strain which other forms of exercise may bring. Yoga focuses on empowering your spine, helping you maintain proper posture, which is an essential factor in reducing back strain.
Stretch and relax stressed muscles. The amount of stretching and flexing that happens during yoga poses promotes relaxation in your tired, tension-filled muscles and joints. Just a few sets of sun salute or downward dog can already make you feel better.
Balance. Yoga is a way for your body to achieve a state of balance, physically as well as in terms of the flow of energy in your system. Your head, neck, shoulders, spine and pelvis achieve the right alignment, helping you carry your weight evenly and therefore reducing pressure on your lower back.
Body awareness. Yoga trains you to be more mindful of your own body – its limitations as well as its strengths and capabilities. By becoming more aware of your body, you can be better at taking care of it and preventing injury.
While yoga is generally a safe and gentle practice, make sure to ask your pain relief specialist about the poses that will be most beneficial for you, depending on your particular condition.