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Lower back pain may be a result of muscle or nerve irritation or bone lesions. It is caused due to an injury or trauma to the back. In fact, there are number of causes behind lower back pain. The severity of the pain depends upon the type of low back pain. Axial back pain is one of the types of lower back pain.
Axial lower back pain could be mild or severe, dull or sharp which can be felt constantly or intermittently. Axial pain is usually mechanical and is characterized by the pain that gets worse with certain activities like sports, pain that gets worse with certain positions like sitting for long periods, pain that is relieved by rest. The area covered by this pain is the low back area. This pain does not travel or radiate in to other parts of the body.
Diagnosis of axial back pain
The diagnosis is important as it determines the real cause behind back pain. Various structures in the low back can cause axial lower back pain like degenerated disc, facet joint problems, damage to soft tissues, ligaments, muscles and tendons but it is really difficult to determine which anatomical structure is the ultimate cause behind the back pain. The simple rule should be that if the back pain is troubling you by waking you up from deep sleep then you should consult the physician in order to avoid any serious complications like tumor, infection or fracture. Normally patients with axial pain get cured within six weeks but if not then additional testing or injections are used in diagnosing and treating the source of pain.
Treatment of axial low back pain
Various treatment options are available for treating axial back pain. The conservative or non-surgical treatment includes the following:
1) Rest for a short period, generally for one or two days.
2) Physical therapy and active exercise and stretching.
3) Heat or ice application for activity related pain relief.
4) Various useful and appropriate medications for back pain relief.
Mainly, these treatments are recommended for axial low back pain avoiding other surgical treatments and alternative methods because of their ineffectiveness in curing the pain.
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