Low back pain is among the most common chronic problems, and the spine suffers with it. According to experts, up to 80% of the population will have some back problem during their lifetime.
In our day-to-day life, the body suffers from many situations. Spending a lot of time standing, sleeping in a bad posture, lying down to watch TV on the sofa or making any physical effort cause back problems which, in turn, damage the spinal column.
Overweight and obesity can be direct causes of these pains, so it is very important to have a healthy diet and an exercise routine.
Back pain, a chronic disease
Back pain is one of the most frequent problems among Spaniards. These occasional pains can become chronic when they become a long-term problem. The Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare, in its latest report on the main chronic health problems, states that low back pain is in second place (18.5%), after hypertension, which accounts for 19.8% in Spain.
Age also has an influence on this back pain, since as the years go by the ailments increase. On the other hand, the lower back is where most pain and injuries are concentrated, and this leads to sciatica or disc herniation, lumbar sprain and even lumbago.
Sciatica: impingement that can hinder movement and ambulation.
Sciatica is a pinching in the lower back that prevents walking, causes inflammation and intense pain that extends from that area to the foot, through the sciatic nerve, one of the buttocks and the leg.
It is a pathology that can be caused by a lumbar disc herniation or stenosis, among other possibilities, so it is very important to address these diseases in order to have a good quality of life and to prevent new injuries from appearing or progressing.
Another of the consequences of this ailment is that the patient may have a tingling sensation and clumsiness when moving the legs, making it difficult to walk or even being unable to do so. The sciatic nerve, which originates in the lower part of the spinal column (spinal cord) and takes the entire leg, is the longest and largest nerve in the body. When the nerve root that goes to it is compressed, a radiculopathy occurs.
Although sciatica cannot be prevented because it is not a disease as such, good postural hygiene that reduces back pain, as well as an exercise routine that helps strengthen the body, can help prevent injuries that affect the sciatic nerve.