Back Owners Guide

There is no simple answer to back pain. Your doctor can guide you on the road to recovery. But a healthy, pain free back is almost always up to you. Only you ca improve your posture and learn ways to prevent back strain in your daily life. And only you can follow a daily exercise program to build strong supporting abdominal, leg and back muscles. You'll need to keep the muscles surrounding your spine strong and flexible. This will help your back three natural curves stay in alignment.

The most common back problems occur when disk in the spine tear, bulge, rupture, or wear out. Each of these makes it harder for disk to cushion the vertebrae and absorb shock. As a result, the area can become inflamed and spinal nerves can become irritated. The resulting pain often makes back muscles tighten to protect the spine. This adds to the pain you feel.

The annulus is the disk's tough outer ring. A sudden movement may cause a tiny tear in an annulus. Nearby ligaments my also stretch. Because the annulus and ligaments contain nerve endings. A torn annulus can cause back pain. As disk wears out, its spongy center can put pressure on the annulus. This can cause back pain and may force the disk to bulge or herniate. A ruptured disk or a slipped disk is one whose nucleus has pushed out through the annulus. The nucleus can then press on or pinch spinal nerves. If the resulting pain radiates down the back of the buttock, thigh and leg.

In rare cases, a young person may have osteoarthritis due to an injury. But in most cases, osteoarthritis is just part of the aging process. As disk wears out over time, growths of bone form on the vertebrae. These spurs may irritate spinal nerves and inflame the area. This often cause back pain. Good posture, exercise, and proper use of your back may slow the development of osteoarthritis.