Low Back Pain - Acute & Chronic

The most common of all the types of back pain is thatChronic back pain, on the other hand, is quite a
of lower back pain.different story. It is most often the result of long-term
As with any type of pain there are two different typesdegeneration of the bones that make up the very
(and low back pain is no exception): acute and chronic.foundation. There are several degenerative causes
Acute low back pain is usually a problem that cancan be the reasons that one experiences chronic low
work itself out over a period of time.back pain.
Chronic low back pain, however, can be responsibleThe discs that make up the spine can become
for aches and pains that last throughout your lifetimeherniated. This will cause rather intense chronic back
and it is the chronic back pain that lessens the qualitypain. Many times this type of case tends to last
of life for anyone who suffers from it.throughout the life of an individual even though the
In this article, we'll address the problems that are posedeffects on one's quality of life can be lessened via
by acute back pain as well as chronic low back painchiropractic visits, therapy and possibly even surgery.
and we'll discuss some methods of getting rid of theWhen it comes to diagnosing a case of chronic low
pain.back pain, and assessing its severity, doctors can
Low back pain is one of the most commonly occurringmake use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in
medical conditions that send even the toughest amongorder to determine the extent of the damage. By
us to our doctor's office. Statistically, you have a veryevaluating the results of the MRI, physicians can better
good chance at some point in your life suffering fromdiagnose what it is that is cause of the back pain. This
some sort of lower back pain. In fact, this condition isgives your doctor a much better idea of what type of
responsible for more sick leave and/or time awaytreatment to engage in and what you can do to
from work than any other condition.prevent the pain from occurring in the future.
The causes of acute low back pain are often veryThe list of reasons that any one individual is
different than the causes of chronic low back pain.experiencing lower back pain, and getting magnetic
Acute low back pain (as with any type of acute pain)resonance imaging performed is very important when
is usually caused by a single event or circumstanceit comes to pinning down the problem.
that is easily remembered and described by theBeyond the various types of physical therapies,
afflicted.anti-inflammatory drugs or pain medications may be
Situations such as accidents, heavy lifting, or falling canprescribed by your doctor to help reduce swelling and
result in acute back pain because of the trauma thatpain. In the more serious of cases in which the discs of
incident places upon a particular part of the body.the back are out of alignment or bulging, surgery may
With acute back pain, more often than not, it can bebe necessary in order relieve or get the pain and
solved through physical therapy, massage, or somediscomfort under control.
other type of healing process over a period of time.