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| Back Pain |
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The human spine is made up of small bones called vertebrae. Between each vertebra is a cushion known as a disc. The spinal cord runs through the canal formed by the vertebrae. Nerves from the spinal cord branch out and leave the spine through the spaces between the vertebrae.
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Low back pain can result from minor problems with bones, muscles, ligaments or tendons. Often pain is a result of traumas (e.g., from accidents) and from herniated discs (which can be caused by accident and by normal aging processes).
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Pain-related symptoms may include numbness, weakness, and muscle stiffness. You may find it difficult to walk, sit, bend, lift, or stoop down.
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Treatment options for back pain include medications, carefully chosen exercises, topical heat and ice, epidural steroid injections, nerve root injections, facet injections, epidural injection with neurolytic substances, bed rest and, occasionally, surgery.
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The back and spine are very complex and not completely understood yet by medical science. Consequently, in many cases it can be difficult to identify the exact cause of pain. However, even when the precise cause is unclear, with proper treatment your pain can be reduced and your activities increased.
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