Any pain, whether it is right back pain, or lower back pain needs to be checked out if the pain continues. Obviously, you don’t want to be running to the doctor for every little ache and pain, but if the pain is bothering you, and especially if you don’t know what has caused it, you should see your family doctor.
Let’s take a quick look at how the back is made up. The spine is a series of bones that are separated from each other by discs which absorb some of the shock when you move around. The muscles and ligaments hold everything together. When one or more of these structures becomes stressed for some reason, back pain is the result.
If you have been moving heavy boxes around or doing some gardening or shovelling, then the chances are pretty high that a pulled muscle or tendon is the cause of your back discomfort. Back muscles are very easy to strain if you are not used to using them.
Lower right back pain can also be the result of overuse, and is often connected to the pain overweight people suffer from, as the back strains to support that weight. In this case, the answer to relieving the pain is to lose some of that excess weight, and see whether the pain level goes down as your weight does. For many people it does.
Herniated discs can also cause significant back pain, and this occurs when the disc of cartilage which is between the vertebrae ruptures, or bulges putting pressure on the nerve.
Prevention is the way to go when back are the concern, and this means that if you are going to be using back muscles, you should get them warmed up first. If you do strain your back causing right back pain, then apply ice as soon as you can to reduce the swelling. This should be done for 10-15 minutes every hour for the first 2-3 days of the injury.
Although rest used to be recommended for the treatment of back pain, doctors now believe that short walks lasting only 2-3 minutes, on a level surface help to keep the back muscles strong. “You should only walk distances that you can manage without pain, as you do not want to aggravate the injury to your back.
Your doctor will be able to recommend some gentle exercises for you to do as well, if these are appropriate for you to do when your injury plus your overall health are taken into consideration.
Remember that back pain can be caused by various conditions which affect the bones and the joints of the spine. Arthritis is a dull sort of pain, quite different to the pain of pulled muscles or disc injuries. Osteoporosis can lead to weakened spinal bones, and this in turn can lead to their fracture. Sometimes the vertebrae collapse because of compression fractures in the vertebrae, and of course this causes back pain.
The best thing that you can do for your back is to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, avoid excessive drinking, and do not smoke. Keep good posture, or if it isn’t good, then try to improve it – a physiotherapist will be able to help with this. Look after your body, and it will be easier for it to live you pain free, with no right back pain.