3 Ways to Avoid Back Injury

The human back is composed of three groups of components, each group containing various structures that can be easily injured under the right conditions. These groups are: The bones and joints of the spine; the discs that separate the vertebrate and absorb shocks; and the muscles and ligaments that hold the back together. Each of these structures can be injured in many ways. Back injuries can range from minor and irritating to severe and crippling. Sustaining a minor injury and trying to ‘work around it’ usually escalates the severity of the problem.

So how can you protect yourself from minor back injury that may worsen or severe injuries that may cripple? The following list is only a few of the precautions that you can take but they will protect to some extent.

1. Watch Your Weight: Excessive weight puts strain on everything from the boney structures down through the discs and muscles.  Like the problems excessive body weight causes to the cardiovascular system, the structures of your back were designed to support a certain range of body mass. Exceed that range and you test your body past the limits it was designed for.

2. Practice Good Body Mechanics And Posture: Sitting with good back support, especially if you sit for long periods, takes strain off. Good lifting, using the legs, not the back.  Adjusting your car seat to optimal distance. Sleeping in positions that support the back. All of these precautions serve to keep the back healthy.

3. Exercise: Flexion, extension and stretching exercises keep your back from getting tight, which can lead to injuries. Strengthening exercises serve to both build the strength of the muscles and joints but added muscle bulk serves as a shock absorber.

Remember that even a minor back injury, if not properly cared for, can escalate into something far more severe. Taking unnecessary chances and injuring your back severely can lead to a lifetime of debilitating pain. Take care of your back and your back will support you throughout your life.

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Facet Joint Pain: The Cause of Back and Neck Problems

One of the most common forms of pain that people experience includes back and neck problems. There can be plenty of reasons that can cause such unavoidable pains. Have you heard about Facet Joint Pain? It is one of the main causes of back and neck pains.

What is Facet Joint?
This joint is also known as Zygapophysial joint and Facet Joint Syndrome. The Wikipedia describes it as ‘a synovial joint between the superior articular process of one vertebra and the inferior articular process of the vertebra directly above it.’  If this joint is closed or partially open or is in a stuck state, it may cause dysfunction.  When this happens, the surrounding muscles lose their flexibility and become tight which results in Facet Joint Pain.

What can cause Facet Joint Pain?
General wear and tear, injury, bad posture, deterioration of cartilages, improper spinal curvature, related vertebral discs, too much of arching in the lower area of the back, etc are some of the main causes of Facet Joint Pain.

Symptoms of Lower Back Facet Syndrome and Neck-Cervical Facet Syndrome

Lower Back Facet Joint Pain:

• severe pain in the lower back
• pain while bending or twisting
• movement of pain to the buttocks or towards the backside of the thighs
• difficulty in performing any activity
• pain during sitting down or getting up from the chair
• pain during standing up

Neck-Cervical Facet Syndrome:

• unbearable pain in the neck
• headaches
• shoulder pain
• not able to bend
• not able to rotate the head
  

How to Get Rid of Facet Joint Pain?
Strengthening and stretching exercises are the best solution to reducing facet joint pain. You can also approach a physiotherapist to  get the best treatment.

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