Conditions

Back Injury

Back Injury

Back Injury

A frequent source of fatigue and limited mobility are back injuries. These injuries can be caused by work, accidents, sports, and even the overuse of muscles. Back injuries sometimes take longer to notice, as the affected tendons or ligaments start to worsen over time with movement. When you have back injury problems, the damage is usually reversible unless the spine is damaged. Spinal column damage requires more in-depth treatment and physical therapy. If you would like to learn more about remedies for back injuries, contact Icon Medical Centers today for more information.

Back Injury Back Injury Back Injury

Spraining Or Straining

Often used interchangeably, spraining or straining the back muscles often causes dull to extreme pain in the back. Strained muscles typically have an achy or tight feel and are typically caused by an irritated nerve root. This is opposed to a pulled muscle, which occurs in a sprained back.


Soft Tissue Injuries

These injuries to ligaments, muscles, and tendons happen due to everyday activities such as exercise. However, severe accidents can be the cause of soft tissue injuries as well. The two main types of soft tissue trauma include traumatic and overuse injuries.

Overuse Injury

These injuries are caused by everyday activity through low-impact movements that put stress on tendons and ligaments. This ultimately wears these soft tissues down over time. Tendinitis and bursitis are classic examples.

Traumatic

This is any soft tissue injury caused by an accident or impact. For example, after a car accident, there may be soft tissue injuries to the neck and back.

Herniated Discs

Spinal disc herniation occurs when the rubbery discs that help facilitate the smooth movement of the vertebrae slip through the cracks of the casing that encloses the spine. This can irritate nearby nerves and create pain, weakness, and numbness in the legs and arms.

Spine Fractures

Fractures caused by trauma can result in deep, debilitating pain. Spine fractures sometimes have no symptoms and can result in the bone breaking unexpectedly due to overuse or accident. There are three main types of spine fracture patterns:

Extension Fracture Pattern

This occurs when the vertebra of the spine is pulled apart, creating a flexion-distraction fracture. These fractures can happen when the upper body is snapped forward during a bad accident, such as a car crash.

Flexion Fracture Pattern

This type of fracture happens when the front part of the spinal vertebra breaks but the back part of it doesn’t. Fortunately, with this kind of fracture, the nerves aren’t typically affected. This is because the bones remain in place, and the vertebrae don’t slip out.

Rotation Fracture Pattern

These happen in two ways, a fracture-dislocation, and a transverse process fracture. The fracture-dislocation is an unstable injury where the vertebrae are displaced in some way. They can result in spinal cord compression. A transverse process fracture happens when there is extreme sideways bending due to trauma. It is less common compared to other fractures.

Osteoporosis

Some fractures are the result of previous complications, such as osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis, this can cause your bones to be brittle and more susceptible to fractures just from slipping and falling. This is because the bones become more porous with age when vitamins are leached away, making them shrink and become more fragile. An elderly individual who gets into an accident can suffer from a back injury and multiple fractures due to osteoporosis.

Common Back Injury Symptoms

Most back injuries are first identified when you feel soreness, achiness, or sharp pains. However, they can also result in loss of mobility and stiffness, making you less flexible. Some symptoms of spinal column fractures include tingling, paralysis, weakness, and neck or back pain. You may also notice a change in your bladder or bowels due to an unnoticed injury. Movement is still possible with a fracture, especially if the injury goes undiscovered. However, with enough stress or additional trauma, the injury can worsen and begin to cause terrible pain.

I Have A Back Injury, Now What?

If you suspect that you have a back injury, it is time to get a physical exam from your doctor. Even if it is a soft tissue injury, you need to know about it so you can avoid activities that can worsen the injury. Back injuries can prevent you from working a job that requires you to sit or stand all day, and they can be fatiguing. Massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and surgery can help improve your injury. To learn more about treatment modalities, contact Icon Medical Centers for more information.