There are many causes of common back injury. Injuries may occur to the spinal bones, intervertebral discs or any of the soft tissues in the back. Spinal bone and disc injuries are usually more serious than soft tissue damage involving the muscles, ligaments or tendons. However, any injury should be treated as a potentially serious condition and appropriate back pain treatment should be sought from a qualified care provider. Back injury can be a mild bump in the road or a major life catastrophe for any affected patient. Injury is always a sensitive subject, since it often involves blame and subsequent legal action.
It is normal for people to get injured in the course of their lives, as there are simply far too many circumstances which can damage the anatomy. Avoiding all of these possible hazards, all the time, seems virtually impossible while living a full and normal life. That being said, it is paramount to keep in mind that healing is the body’s primary directive, meaning that above all else, the anatomy will immediately go about repairing injuries, until they have resolved.
For patients with chronic pain related to an extreme back injury, there may be little hope for a complete cure, despite the best efforts of the body to fix itself. However, for the vast majority of people with mild to moderate injuries, the chances of suffering from a chronic pain syndrome directly related to the physical trauma itself are low. Statistically, many patients might suffer from a combination of anatomical issues, such as scar tissue and nerve damage related to a damaging incident, while also being sizeably affected by the psychoemotional aspects of the trauma, as well.
Causes of Back Injury
Injuries are usually the result of some form of trauma. Car accidents, slip and falls or incidents of violence are all common causes for injuries to occur. The force of the trauma will often dictate the extent of the damage. Other physical factors that contribute to a substantial percentage of back injuries are lifting heavy objects, sports injuries and poor muscle condition.
Perceived back injuries can also be the result of the mindbody process. Psychological back pain will often wait for a convincing physical trigger to begin to be symptomatic. This actual minor injury, or perceived injury, can lead to a chronic bout of treatment resistant back pain. This type of back ache is the most sinister, since it is often misdiagnosed and the cure rate is so pitifully low.
Perceived injuries are sometimes characterized as causing severe pain from seemingly innocent actions, such as opening a stuck window, bending over or picking up a moderately hefty object. While there may be minuscule damage enacted, the mind perceives the event to be much worse, creating the ideal circumstances for psychosomatic escalation and perpetuation of the symptoms.
Repetitive strain back pain can be the very real result of a recurrent string of small traumas to the same region. Repetitive muscle strains or sprains can cause RSI syndrome, which is a diagnostic conclusion reaching alarming rates in the dorsopathy sector. Learn more about the lasting effects of repetitive injuries on our page titled scar tissue in the back.
Injury Topics
Back and spine injury is a frightening subject matter. We have written about many specific varieties of injury to help patients find information about the most common forms of traumatic occurrence to the dorsal region:
Having a broken back or a broken neck does not mean that the victim has suffered a spinal cord injury. Luckily, virtually all forms of spine injury will heal without causing lasting functional limitations or chronic pain conditions.
Coccyx injury is commonly suffered from falling on the buttocks.
Lower back injury can affect any part of the lower dorsal anatomy. Meanwhile, lumbar injury denotes damage to the spinal tissues.
Middle back injury is rare and can be difficult to successfully treat in some cases.
Neck injury can traumatize any tissue in the region, but cervical injury describes spinal injury in the neck.
Disc injury can entail herniation or rupture of any intervertebral structure.
Whiplash is a typical consequence of car accidents and some other types of traumas. Whiplash neck pain is well known to affect the cervical spinal region, while whiplash back pain can come from thoracic or lumbar injury.
Car accident back pain is one of the many possible sources of chronic suffering after a traumatic occurrence.
Vertebral wedging describes a change in bone structure following injury.
Spinal nerve injury can create lasting symptoms or functional deficits.
Spinal fluid leaks can come from injury, but are mostly caused by surgical blunders.
Fractured vertebrae may or may not be painful. Some varieties, such as compression fractures and vertebral stress fractures often go undiagnosed, since they rarely cause acute pain.
Torn ligaments in the back might require physical therapy or even surgery to facilitate healing.
Back pain from falling can be a lasting collateral effect of many accidents.
Spinal cord hemorrhage is a very serious problem that must be contained immediately.
Back Injury Traumas
Injured patients often view themselves as damaged goods. This may be a self-diagnosed condition in a few cases, but is usually the emotional result of stern warnings and prohibitions made by care providers who are basically covering their own butts legally, just in case the patient does not recover 100%.
Once viewed as being damaged, or less than whole, a patient is likely to suffer continuing pain which may become a disabling and debilitating issue. In fact, statistics show that patients with severe pain lasting more than 6 months to a year will likely suffer this torment for life. No matter how many times I cite this fact, it chills me to the core.
If you have hurt your back in some form of accident or occurrence, concentrate on your recovery. Too many patients become obsessed with the pain condition or some subsequent personal injury lawsuit. It is justified to pursue legal action if you have been hurt. However, do not place litigation as a higher priority than actually recovering from spinal injury.
Too many patients find themselves becoming the victims of lifelong torture, simply for the sake of trying to make a few dollars. Additionally, much of the money recovered will go to your personal injury lawyer, who will benefit greatly from your pain and suffering but will not likely care if your agony continues once litigation is over.
Health is always more important than wealth. These are truly words to live by.
For patients who have suffered only mild to moderate back injury, but still have severe and intractable pain, there may be emotional factors at the heart of your misery. This is very common and virtually never recognized or treated successfully by doctors. This phenomenon is one of the main scenarios covered in great detail in the brilliant literary works of Dr. John Sarno, who teaches that the mind is the true causative process for chronic pain in a great number of patients whose actual injuries have long since healed, as well as in patients who never suffered a specific and actual injury to begin with, despite their perception of one occurring. If this describes a possibility in your own case, it may be wise to investigate alternative back pain treatment using knowledge therapy.
Our excellent back pain relief program can help injuries to fully heal, as well as prevent, manage and even completely cure pain.
