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Back Pain - Medical Negligence Solicitors
Thousands of clinical compensation claims are initiated every year in the United Kingdom by medical negligence solicitors on behalf of people from all walks of life. A multitude of operations and procedures are executed successfully however a small percentage do go wrong, laying the grounds for medical negligence solicitors to take legal action in order to claim compensation. Both legal aid and the no win no fee scheme are available to pursue medical negligence compensation claims.
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Back pain is common. Many people complain of back pain at least one time during their life time. It is one of the most common excuses people make for missing work or for going to see the doctor. Back pain, fortunately, is preventable and it can be treated once it happens. Back pain usually resolves itself within a few weeks and rarely do you need surgery to correct the problem.
There are several symptoms of back pain. You can simply feel an aching sensation in the muscles of the back. You can also feel a shooting or stabbing pain and often the pain radiates down one leg. The range of motion of the back can be diminished and you can be less flexible than normal. You might even have an inability to straighten your back and must walk stooped over.
"Acute" back pain lasts up to a few weeks but not more than that. "Chronic" back pain is pain in the back that last for longer than three months. You should see the doctor if the injury doesn't respond to home remedies. If it takes longer than three days to treat your pain at home, you should attempt to see the doctor. If the back pain is constant and intense, even when you lie down, see the doctor. The same is true if the pain spreads down one leg to past the knee. If there is numbness or tingling in your legs or if you have bowel or bladder difficulty, seek medical attention. If you have a fever or abdominal pain along with the pain in your back, this can be a more severe problem that needs a doctor's attention. If you have suffered an injury or blow to the back, see the doctor. If you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, steroid use, osteoporosis or cancer history, see your doctor right away.
Back pain can be due to problems with the muscles, ligaments, bones, tendons and intervertebral discs. In some people, no specific cause of the back pain can be found. Fortunately, regardless of the cause, most cases of back pain resolve spontaneously.
Strains of the back are more common than most other back injuries. They include pain from strained muscles and/or ligaments of the back and are often due to improper lifting of heavy objects. Sudden, awkward movements can trigger a back strain. A muscle spasm can be the cause of a back strain.
Structural problems can be the cause of back pain. Most back pain is located in the lower back. The structural problems include bulging or ruptured discs in the back. Discs act as cushioning for the vertebral bodies and if they rupture, they can cause significant inflammation and pain in the back. A disc can push on the spinal cord, leading to sciatica with sharp pain shooting through the buttock and down the leg. This is due to the inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
You can have pain due to arthritis of the lower back. Arthritis can cause a buildup of bony tissue that can push on the nerves of the spinal cord or on the nerves that leave the spinal cord, causing pain in the area that the nerve supplies. Scoliosis or other curvature of the spine can cause back pain that affects the nerves of the back or spinal cord. Osteoporosis or thinning of the bones can cause shortening of the vertebrae due to fractures. This can be a cause of severe and/or chronic back pain in all areas of the back.
Things that increase the risk of getting back pain include smoking history, being older, being obese, being female, doing strenuous work, being in a stressful job or doing sedentary work. Anxiety and depression play a role in who gets back pain and who doesn't.
Sometimes only a physical exam is necessary to determine the cause and to treat back pain. The doctor will examine your back, legs and reflexes. If necessary, x-rays of the back can be obtained to look for bony abnormalities. Blood and urine tests may be done to see if the back pain is from a urinary tract infection rather than a muscular or ligamentous back injury. MRI or CT scans can be done to determine if the spinal cord or spinal nerves are affected. A bone scan can look for bony tumors or for compression fractures not seen on a CT scan. This involves using a radioactive tracer to identify "hot spots" on the spinal cord. An EMG or electromyogram can be done that can check on the functionality of the nerves.
Treatment of low back pain might involve over the counter medications to ease the pain while you rest and take it easy on your back. Other medications often used are prescription NSAIDs like indomethacin and muscle relaxants to ease the muscle tension. Occasionally, narcotic medications are used and tricyclic antidepressant medication is sometimes used to ease back pain, even if you're not depressed. Physical therapy helps return you to your normal level of functioning. Cortisone injections are used in circumstances where the doctor believes localized anti-inflammatory relief is necessary. The need for surgery is rare but can help in serious circumstances.