Recurring Back Pain

Many times people are surprised by the sudden onset of back pain and they can’t recall what they did to hurt themselves.

The reason for this is that only the outer 1/3 of the disc is pain sensitive. Therefore, you may not feel pain until one day you do an activity or make a movement that causes just enough increased pressure on the disc to push the material out to the pain sensitive areas of the disc resulting in inflammation and pain. These episodes are usually the ones that send you to an emergency room or put you flat on your back. If the pressure is significant enough, the inner disc material can be pushed all the way out (a herniated disc) and cause pressure on the delicate spinal nerves leading to a severe burning pain or numbness in your legs or arms.

If this is your first episode of back pain, unfortunately it could be only the beginning.

Research shows that if someone suffers from an episode of back pain,
they have an 84% chance of suffering again.

The spinal discs don’t have a blood supply, so they need a constant supply of fresh oxygen and nutrients pumped in and out to keep them healthy. They get this when there is normal motion and muscular strength in the spine. This mechanism works well as long as the discs are not damaged and the motion of the spine is normal. But once a disc is damaged, it lacks the ability to maintain hydration and it becomes dry, brittle and degenerates which leads to chronic problems.

Most people just go on with their normal lives after they recover from a severe episode of back pain and this can be a big mistake. Why?

The outer 1/3 of the disc is the only part that is pain sensitive. After the inflammation decreases, the outer fibers are no longer irritated and this gives you a false sense of security. Your discs are literally a ticking time bomb, waiting until you do one thing wrong and then … WHAM! You are right back in pain.

Often the pain is worse because the discs are even more damaged than before. And what often happens is the pain starts to move. Now instead of just being in the lower back or neck it’s now in the hip, groin or legs, shoulders or arms.

So now, not only is your back involved, but you also have sciatica or cervical radiculopathy.