Dear Readers,

Horace M. is a middle-aged truck driver who is suffering with recurring lower back pain. He said his doctor is blaming the driving job which he has been doing for 20 years. He used to lift packages transported by the vehicle but has stopped doing this for a few years now. He knows lifting weights can cause back pain, but Mr M. wants to know if just driving a vehicle can really be affecting his back to any great extent. Driving is his means of livelihood, so he can't stop it just like that!

More than 80 per cent of people will suffer with some degree of back pain in their lifetime. Lower back pain refers to pain which is experienced below the waist. If it is simple back pain, the discomfort remains located near the centre of the back and does not spread. In most people, this pain is experienced after some simple activity such as housework, sweeping or polishing the floor, picking up a parcel from the ground, lifting a child awkwardly from the floor, coughing, or even without an easily identified reason.

It is often described as a nagging lower back pain, which never really disappears although it can also be experienced as that sudden onset of instantaneous and agonising pain. Sometimes the person describes freezing in one position with a reluctance to move, for fear of worsening the pain. Often, the pain is worse with sitting down, as sitting increases the pressure on the back muscles.

It is true that advancing age is also associated, at times, with an aching back, but the truth is that most back pain occurs in relation to stress, muscle spasm and muscular weakness in the back. People who exercise only occasionally, for example, weekend athletes, are particularly at risk, as are people who are chained to a desk job and are out of shape.

The occasional game of basketball or cricket can trigger painful muscle spasms as lax muscles are then pushed to perform unusual athletic feats and are just not up to the task!

people at risk of back pain

Other people at risk of back pain are those whose jobs alternate between sedentary and strenuous. For example, truck drivers who often alternate between long periods of sitting with strenuous periods of lifting, or nurses who alternate between doing paperwork and turning patients.

Lifting objects improperly is a major cause of lower back pain. Lower back pain can also be caused by sleeping on a too-soft mattress, sitting too long in a poorly designed chair, or spending too long slightly flexed forward behind a steering wheel, example, bus driving. This back pain is related to poor posture and can, therefore, be corrected by correcting the flawed posture.

Pregnancy and obesity are also associated with lower back pain. People who are overweight tend to have weak abdominal wall muscles, which put an additional strain on the back.

While most back pain is muscular in origin, the spinal bones and discs, joints, nerves and tendons can also be involved as a cause of back pain. Even kidney disease can be experienced as back pain. Because of this, persistent back pain should be reviewed by a physician.

All categories of over-the-counter pain killers, anti-inflammatory medication, opiates and muscle relaxants are used in the treatment of lower back pain. Physical therapy is also useful. Surgery is inappropriate for muscular injuries.

Most cases of low back pain do resolve with rest and time. Tension and anxiety only worsens back pain. Consulting a chiropractor may well be useful. Practising exercises to strengthen back and abdominal wall muscles may also help reduce back pain. Bending down with care and lifting from a squatting position are also good habits which prevent back pain. Exercise regularly and not in spurts!

When pain persists, see a physician or, if necessary, an orthopaedic surgeon, for evaluation of the back pain.

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