Back and neck pain are common and do occurs among adults. Our back and neck contain spinal cords which are a complex structure which involves several nerves, joints, tendons, and muscles. Most of the time back and neck pain are as a result of several muscle strains. But it is also a common understanding that back and pain is the outcome of overdoing some activities that put stress and strain around that area.
There are a number of back pain symptoms in patients with low back pain that may require immediate medical care and attention. These back pain symptoms may indicate that back or neck pain is related to potentially serious non-mechanical or mechanical disease. Non-mechanical disorders that are neurological or organic in nature can cause symptoms of back pain, but in these cases treatment needs to be directed at the disease, not merely the associated pain. Bowel, bladder, kidney, or gall bladder diseases, some types of cancer, cauda equina syndrome, and other neurological disorders are among the serious conditions that should be screened for and treated directly.
If a patient has numbness in the area roughly corresponding to where a person would sit in a saddle (basically, the buttocks) with or without problems urinating, that patient should seek immediate medical attention (these symptoms may be an indication of cauda equina syndrome). Fever, confusion, back pain that occurs mostly at nighttime or when lying down, or problems with urination, bowel movements, or sexual function are other symptoms implicating non-mechanical disease that may also require immediate medical attention.
Some back and neck pains symptoms may not be related by muscle pains and mechanical diseases. In the case where patients had sudden increasing weakness, numbness or tingling, they should look for medical treatment immediately. If any unusual symptoms arise, even should they seem unrelated to back pain symptoms, a physician should be consulted. Regardless of the severity of these symptoms, all of them should at the very least be brought to the attention of a physician.
There are some contraindications which will vary concordant the cause of the pain , the therapy used, and the presence of other diseases or conditions. Some conditions either related to or coexisting with the pain, such as severe cardiac disturbances or bone weakness due to osteoporosis or other conditions, may contraindicate exercise.
Treatment modalities, such as using thermal treatment modalities and electrical stimulation techniques, also have their own sets of precautions that must be followed. There are some conditions that may contraindicate the use of electrical stimulus include thrombophlebitis, disturbances in cardiac rhythm, cardiac demand pacemaker, cancer, and local inflammation or infection.
This treatment use heat may not be indicated immediately after an injury, and should always be used with special caution to prevent burns. Electrical, heat, and cold therapies may all be contraindicated for use on sensory-impaired areas. Ultrasound should not be used on tissues with metal implants, because of its deep heating properties. Manipulation techniques can aggravate disk problems, or cause compression fractures in patients with osteoporosis. The physical therapist needs to be familiar with any risks involved with each condition and treatment modalities.
Most of the time, physician guidance and doctor’s diagnosis is often recommended prior to beginning treatment modalities, and the physical therapist needs to make a careful diagnosis in order to make appropriate treatment choices.
