Your back is responsible for holding you upright.
We use it every day, rely on it heavily, and when back pain strikes, we're often out of commission. Unfortunately, back pain is one of the most common complaints patients make to their doctors, with 65 million Americans reporting a recent episode of back pain and 16 million Americans reporting chronic back pain.
Back pain is the sixth most expensive healthcare problem in the US. When you're in pain, all that matters is finding a solution that works. If you have stubborn back pain and the painkillers are falling short, it may be time to try alternative methods of pain relief. Here's why backache cream might be the right choice for your back pain.
What Causes Backaches? The causes of back pain are as diverse as the types of pain they create. This also makes back pain difficult to treat if you're treating the wrong area. The problem arises in part because your back is more complicated than you think. The spine alone has 33 bones running from the base of your head to your tailbone. Inside the spine is the spinal cord, a collection of nerves that send messages from the brain to the body and the body to the brain.
Then there are the muscles of the back. The back involves a wide array of large and small muscles working together in a complicated interlocking system. These include flexor, extensor, and oblique muscles, all of which come together in hundreds of small and large movements to allow you to stand upright.
Types of Back Pain
This is important to understand because the type of back pain you experience is strongly influenced by what structure is damaged. For example, there are the large muscle groups of the back, like the latissimus dorsi, which serve an important support function. But there are also the facet joints that connect your vertebrae and allow your spine to move, and the intervertebral discs which act as shock absorbers. Oh, and there are the spinal nerves, which communicate messages allowing you to move your back and limbs.
Structural damage to any one of these areas can cause back pain, but the type of pain and the consequences of the injury depend on what was damaged and to what extent. Nerve injuries, for example, can also create pain or numbness in your arms or legs. A herniated disc will cause inflammation of the surrounding tissues to protect the damaged area, which can aggravate the surrounding muscles and nerves. A muscle tear in your shoulder can create overcompensation in other areas that worsens the overall effect of the pain, even if you don't realize you're doing it.
Know Your Injury This is why it's vital to know your injury and describe your pain type when dealing with back pain. There are three common classifications of back pain:
- Axial
- Referred
- Radicular
Axial pain is confined to one location, though it can result from a variety of injuries and the experience of pain can be anywhere from dull pain to sharp, constant pain. Muscle tears and strains are the most common source of axial back pain. Referred back pain, on the other hand, is usually described as dull and achy, sort of like a toothache in your back. The difference is that referred back pain, unlike a toothache, can travel around your back.
Pain levels aren't necessarily consistent. A good example of this is lower back pain as a result of degenerative disc disease, which will create referred pain in the hips and posterior thighs. Radicular pain gets its name because it occurs at the point where the spinal cord exits your spinal column. Unlike referred pain, which is dull, radicular pain is often described as comparable to the sensation of electric shock. This type of back pain is typically the result of inflammation at a spinal nerve root. The problem is that the brain isn't that good at differentiating between pain in one area of the back versus another. It's not that good at distinguishing from pain resulting from two different issues--to the brain, pain is pain, and it doesn't always do a good job signaling what kind of pain. A slipped disc, for example, can feel a lot like arthritic facet joint because the two injuries are in close proximity. Sometimes the same area can suffer two distinct injuries.
Why Painkillers May Not Work If painkillers aren't working to resolve your back pain, it may be because they're ill-equipped to handle your particular case. Unfortunately, back pain seems like a simple problem, but it's rather difficult to diagnose if the source of the issue isn't glaringly obvious. Again, the brain struggles to distinguish between one type of back pain and another. In addition, while painkillers may be able to treat pain in a diffuse manner, oral painkillers don't offer targeted treatment. Instead, the painkilling effects are spread throughout the body, since the medicine has to pass through your digestive system first.
Why Backache Cream Can Help This is where backache cream can make all the difference. While painkillers offer diffuse pain relief, backache cream is designed to target your pain right at the source. Just apply the backache cream to the affected area and wait for it to kick in. This kind of treatment is more effective for pain that's closer to the surface, as the cream can only reach the area where it's applied, but it can still go a long way to help relax your muscles and limit the effects of chronic pain. Plus, unlike oral painkillers, the pain-relieving medication in backache cream has a relatively low circulation rate in the rest of the body, which means that the rest of your system won't bear the brunt of ongoing medication. Instead, you can keep the benefits localized--and your back will thank you for doing it.
Invest in a Happier, Healthier Back If your back pain isn't responding to painkillers, it's time to invest in a solution that works to resolve your pain. That way, you can stop fighting your way through pain and focus on what matters--living your life to the fullest. If painkillers aren't working, it's time to try backache cream for a localized, effective treatment.
If you need more helpful pain treatment and recovery management options, make sure to check out our shop for more great solutions to feel strong and healthy in your body.
