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Low Back Injury
Also known as Low Back Strain or Low Back Sprain or Lumbar Sprain
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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A low back injury or strain is an injury to the muscles and ligaments of the lower back. The back is divided into three components: the cervical component, the thoracic component and the lumbar component. The lumbar part of the back is involved with lifting and stretching. Injury to the low back often comes from improper lifting or from lifting and twisting with a heavy object. A "strain" occurs when the muscle fibers are stretched or torn. A "sprain" occurs when the ligaments connecting the bones together get stretched or torn away from their attachments. Many people with a low back injury will have some elements of both a strain and a sprain. This is what is referred to as a "musculoligamentous injury". The treatment of both kinds of injuries is the same.
The second most frequent cause of a missed work day in the US is a low back strain/sprain. Most of the symptoms are obvious and include low back pain, stiffness of the back, and shooting pains in the back. The pain usually goes away at rest, especially if you have ice or heat to the affected area. If you have the following symptoms, however, you should seek the medical attention of a doctor or emergency room. These include loss of bowel or bladder function, progressive weakness of the lower extremities or severe, constant pain unrelieved by rest or medications. These symptoms can indicate nerve root involvement and might require more advanced treatment.
When the low back is injured in a sprain or strain, there is inflammation of the soft tissue that contributes to the pain and muscle spasm you feel. Often, bedrest is required for a day or two and symptoms to some degree persist for up to a month. If the symptoms persist longer than that, you may need to see a specialist in orthopedics. Chiropractors can sometimes ease much of the pain if there is subluxation or an alignment issue with the spinous or transverse processes.
Some people seem to get pain in the lumbar area and a lumbar sprain or strain more than others. Those that work in jobs with much heavy lifting and twisting can get a low back injury more likely. If there is a sudden forceful movement of the back during an episode of lifting, a low back strain can occur. If you are poorly conditioned and out of shape, you will get more injuries. Obesity contributes to the injury rate as does smoking. Not knowing how to lift properly can contribute to getting injuries. Your work should have a class or lesson in proper lifting if lifting is a big part of the work you do. You can do back strengthening activities to strengthen your back before partaking in heavy lifting.
The treatment of lumbar muscle injury includes rest. The rest reduces the inflammation of the lower back and decreases spasm of the back. Rest should proceed for about 24-48 hours but not longer than that because the muscles will weaken and become stiffer than they were at the time of the injury. After that, you should do some simple stretching exercises to loosen up the back.
Medications are helpful as well. These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants. You can get nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications over the counter in the form of naproxen or ibuprofen. Muscle relaxants can be prescribed by the doctor if there is a lot of spasm. You can use anti-inflammatory medications at the same time as muscle relaxant medications. As you recover from this injury, you need to consider physical therapy to help stretch the muscles, ease the pain and learn how not to suffer the same injury again. The muscles can be strengthened in physical therapy and you can learn to be more conditioned.
Chiropractic treatment, as mentioned, can work for some people with subluxations or a lot of spasm and inflammation. Heat is applied to ease the spasm and ice is applied to reduce the inflammation of the low back.