Archive for January 2012
Back woes, which rank second only to headaches among modern miseries, eventually afflict seven of every ten adults. Anyone from a college athlete, to a retired grandparent can suffer a back injury, but the risks increase with time as the deeper muscles and tendons surrounding the spine become less resilient. Yet age itself is rarely the only factor in a disabling back attack; almost always tense injured, or weak muscles are to blame. Other risk factors include extra pounds, particularly if stuffed into a pot belly; lack of exercise; poor posture; bending from the waist to hoist a heavy load; and sitting long hours while studying how to become a sonographer or even a while getting a political science major.
Strain from use or abuse accounts for 80% of back ailments. Most vulnerable is the lowest, or lumbar, part of the spine, which bears the greatest pressure when bending and lifting. Five to ten percent of back problems involve the discs between the vertebrae. Most common is the protrusion (or herniation) of the soft center of a disc through the casing so that it presses on spinal nerves. Another 10% of of back problems involve structural defects, which may be the result of injuries, tumors, arthritis, congenital malformations, osteoporosis (the weakening of the bones), or scoliosis (side-to-side curving of the spine). Sometimes a sore back back is a symptom of diseases of other organs, such as the kidneys, gallbladder, or stomach. A physical exam and various test, including electrodiagnostic studies, X rays, CT scans, and MRI’s (magnetic resonance imaging), may be necessary to pinpoint the problem.
Bed rest, supplemented by moist heat or other muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory drugs, eases most backaches. However, the days when doctors advised two weeks of bed rest for back aches are gone. After two to three days, most back patients are urged to get up, start walking, and resume light activity.
Back specialists tailor treatment programs to an individual’s needs. Different forms of physical therapy include specific exercises, massage, heat, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation, and often works to relieve pain and speed recovery. Some people successfully use chiropractic, acupuncture, hypnosis, biofeedback, or relaxation techniques to cope with back pain. Regardless of treatment, more then 85% of back-injury patients well within two weeks. Fewer then 2% eventually require surgery to repair a herniated disc.
Are you under too much pressure to get good grades? Are you exercising and eating well? Do you have close friends to share your triumphs and traumas? If you choose to be sexually active, what do you do to prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease? Do you get regular health checkups? Are you aware of safety and environmental threats to your health? How are you going to make the most of your life? What do you hope to accomplish before you die? These are questions that you should ask yourself whether you are an allied health professional or studying how to become an accountant. These are all questions that we should ask ourselves as humans concerning your mind, body, and spirit. Your attitudes affect your social ties, your needs, your wants, your past and your potential for the future. Dare to discover your possibilities, about what makes you unique and what makes your you unique and what makes your life worthwhile.
Life is about living in a human body, thinking with a human mind, responding to a world of ideas and experiences with a human spirit. You are the owner of an incredible machine, the most complex and sophisticated on earth. The human body is remarkably robust, resilient, and superbly equipped to deal with the challenges of daily living. Even processes, we sometimes think of as malfunctions – a cough, a runny nose, diarrhea – can be indications of the body’s capacity to heal itself. Many times emotional energy can get blocked and manifest itself in physical illness. Health and Wellness begins in the heart.
