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 Now：Home page > Spine Disease > Low Back Pain |
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Low Back Pain |
- One of the most common type of pain experienced by people today (Headaches are the most common)
- Will be experienced by 80% of adults during their lifetime
- Can be caused by a variety of disorders
- Is usually self-limiting and resolves within a few weeks
- Causes 40-50% of lost work day
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Risk Factors |
- Genetic Predisposition
- Smoking
- Poor physical fitness
- Prolonged static position (sitting)
- Anxiety/depression
- Repetitive lifting, twisting, bending
- Overweigh
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Causes |
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Unknown and can be related to ligaments, discs, joints, muscles or any combination. Disorders such as: Degenerative Disc Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Herniated Disc, Lumbar Strain, Spondylolisis or Spinal Stenosis. |
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Treatment |
- Comfort measures - rest, ice/heat, and medication (anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, pain pills)
- Physical therapy treatments
- Spine exercise program
- Lumbar support
- Education in back care and prevention
- Surgery in some cases.
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Continued low back pain which lasts longer than three months is diagnosed as chronic low back pain and is addressed differently than acute low back pain |
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Emergency exam is needed for |
- Any unrelenting severe low back pain
- Loss of bowel and bladder function
- Progressive numbness/weakness of legs
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Treatment of unrelenting low back pain and changes in neurological function will be determined by the physician after clinical exam and diagnostic tests (x-rays, CT's, MRI's, labs) to determine the cause of the problem. |
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Surgery may be needed to treat the symptoms |
- To relieve pressure on spinal cord or nerve roots
- To stabilize the spine
- To treat the cause of the pain
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Reference materials |
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Kao-Wha Chang : Disc Excision and Interbody Fusion for Lumbar Discogenic Pain, J Orthop Surg ROC 10 : 317-324, 1993)
 《Press the button to see the surgical example》
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