Chronic Back Pain


Backache is often referred to as ‘chronic back pain’. What does chronic mean? Chronic back pain is back pain that lasts for a long time without much change in the condition. This is opposed to acute back pain, which usually occurs suddenly and runs a relatively short course. Chronic back pain is, in other words, persistent back pain; it is not necessarily more serious or more painful than acute back pain, it is just relentless.

Many elderly people suffer from chronic back pain caused by diseases or conditions that come with the ageing process, including a lifetime of bad back posture. Chronic back pain may affect the lower, upper or middle back, and is usually, although not always, described as numb, dull, throbbing, uncomfortable and general, rather than sharp, stabbing and localized.

Chronic back pain benefits enormously from exercise, massage and physical therapy. Rather than being cured outright, chronic back pain often needs to be managed. Simply learning how to walk, stand, bend, sit and handle heavy objects can make a big difference to the lives of sufferers of chronic back pain.

Most people never learn good posture or good back health. Today, more and more people spend more and more time in front of a computer, but they don’t know how to sit correctly - legs never crossed, feet firmly on the ground, back and neck straight.

For chronic back pain, simple remedies like massage and hot water bottles can help to ease the pain. Many doctors may recommend mild pain killers but chronic back pain treatment is an ongoing process and it is preferable to learn to manage the condition in as natural a way as possible.

This is true of any form of pain management and sometimes requires a change in lifestyle and a change in attitude to one’s health. The best approach is threefold:

Step 1: Ease the pain. Because chronic back pain is so persistent, it’s treatment needs to be persistent too, including a regular exercise, massage or therapy to gradually build muscle strength in order to support a flexible and supple spine.

Step 2: Adopt good back health. This includes learning about good posture and making sure your have the correct mattress. If you sit at a desk all day, make sure you have a good chair. Your company is obliged to provide you with one.

Step 3: Try to rid yourself of stress. Stress is a major contributor to almost every physical manifestation of ill health.

Technorati Tags: , ,