87% of young people have Back pain; other 13% have no Computer !!

Back pain isn’t new. It’s been there since cavemen starting lugging around rocks...Today options are expanding and back pain sufferer may not know where to run. Back pain continues to plague millions of people each year and while there seems to be no cure, new and improved treatments are helping those with the most severe pain have new hope. Surgery remains a big question for many people.

Some of the most common Lifestyle Disorders which causes back ache are:

• In the office jobs natural movements are restricted and movements, which the body parts are unused    to, are forced to perform continuously. Tension build up results in muscles becoming tensed, sore and tender. The shoulder, neck and upper back are the main areas of tension for most people.

• Wrong way of  picking the weight
• Habit of walking very fast or standing for a long time on those high heel stilettos
• Sofa or chair on which you slouch daily deforms your back and makes you a patient of spondylosis
• Excess of Intestinal gas in your body as a result of bad digestion
• A heavy sneeze which you suppressed since you are sitting in a meeting
• Postural irregularities during pregnancies

Most get by with conservative treatments like physical therapy or over-the-counter pain medications or it goes away by itself. Others require powerful prescription narcotics for pain and as a last resort, about 5 percent turn to surgery. Last year, there were more than 400,000 spinal fusion surgeries performed in the U.S. Today, options for severe back pain sufferers include traditional spinal fusion surgery, minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery and most recently in the U.S., artificial disc replacement.

The Ayurveda treatments are much personalized and it varies according to the root cause. The causes are determined by taking history, physical examination, laboratory tests, radiographic evaluation, MRI, CT, Bone scanning, electro-diagnostic assessments.

Ayurveda offers a wide range of treatment procedures for low back pain including internal medications and external treatments. The treatment principle is as follows. As per Ayurveda, some diseases are caused by the other disease/diseases. In such cases we just need to cure the first (primary disease) - secondary disease will disappear by itself.

Treatment procedures include:

•  Internal medications in the form of herbal Decoctions, Medicated ghee, herbal powders, medicated herbal jams, and fermented herbal preparations suitable for the particular condition are to be taken internally.

• Virechanam-purgation with appropriate medicine does give excellent relief.
• Vasthi-Administration of medicated enema in the form of decoctions and oil is also included in treatment of  backpain.
• Application of warm kizhi/herbal poultice/bags on the affected region or the whole body.Poutice contents includes medicated rice/medicinal leaves/herbal powders/plain sand according to different conditions.
• Parishekam, a process in which the body part is made to perspire by continuously pouring Luke warm herbal oils followed by gentle massage.
• Avagaham: Patient is made to sit in a tub filled with luke warm herbal water.
• Kadi vasthy: Warm medicated oil is allowed to stay in low back for 20-30 minutes
• Yoga & Physiotherapy Practice under the supervision. Yoga postures like salabhasana, dhanurasana, bhujangasana, padahastasana, sarvangasana etc. is beneficial according to the varying causes.

Procedure of  kadivasthy

Some signs which are alarming for backpain patients are:

Numbness in the lower legs, Tingling sensation, Burning Sensation in lower limbs, Uneasiness in body, Pain radiating in different parts of the body, Problems with the urine and stool movements and Paralysis like condition. This is not necessary that you will have all the problems right from start. These problems will appear in conditions like Intervertebral Disc Prolapse, Annular Ligament Tear, Ruptured Disc, Degenerative Disc Disease, Scoliosis/Kyphosis, Spondylosis, Spondylitis, Spondylolisthesis etc when back pain is chronic. So before it becomes chronic, you need immediate medical attention.

Dr Pathrose, Chief Physician, Pathrose Parathuvayalil Hospital and Orthopedic Centre, Kerala says a special MARMA technique of manipulation , followed by POP bandaging proves effective in back pain management  in the above specified conditions.“The approach to a patient with chronic back pain is beset with pitfalls and the greatest caution must be exercised because an initial error can precipitate the sufferer onto the downhill path of chronic invalidism”.