LOWER BACK PAIN

Low back pain often begins suddenly, and may follow an obvious strain or injury, but may sometimes be gradual, in association with some other disease of muscles or bones. The pain may travel towards upper back, shoulders, usually midline or can be felt elsewhere. It may often go into the buttocks, down the legs and even to the foot. The muscles of the back may have  painful spasm, stiffness etc.

CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain can be caused by a number of factors from injuries to the effects of aging.

1.   Back pain associated with nerve root pain; the commonest causes are intervertebral disc prolapse and compression of nerve roots within the neural canals.

2.   In association with any pathology of spinal chord like vertebral infections, tumors, ankylosing  spondylitis, poly arthritis, Paget’s disease and primary neurological disease.

3.  By imbalance of mechanics of the spine. eg: potbelly,osteoporotic spinal fractures, senile kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, spinal osteochondrosis, and sometimes osteoarthritis.

4.  In other cases, although the symptoms may be identical in character, the cause can’t be determined with accuracy; these cases of back pain attracted many emotive names such as lumbago, low back strain etc.

Management of Low Back Pain

The Ayurvedic treatments are much personalized and it varies according to the root cause. The causes are determined by taking history, physical examination, laboratory tests, radiographic evaluation, MRI, CT, Bone scanning, electro-diagnostic assessments.

Ayurveda offers a wide range of treatment procedures for low back pain including internal medications and external treatments.

 Internal medicines

Various medicines in the form of-

 1.Decoctions (eg: Rasna Sapthakam, Sahacharadi)

2. Pills (eg: Yogaraja guggulu, Chandraprabha)

3.Herbal wines (eg: Balarishtam, Dhanwanthararishtam)

4.Herbal powders (eg: Shaddharanam)

5. Oils (eg: Ksheera bala, Dhanwantharam)

6. Medicated ghees (eg: Guggulu thikthakam, Vidaryadi)

7.  Herbal jams (eg: Chyavana prasam, Dasamoola harithaki)

VIRECHNAM

Purgatives like Gandharva hasthadi erendam, Nimbmrithadi erendam in appropriate dose gives excellent relief.

EXTERNAL THERAPIES

1.Abhyangam

Specialised ayurvedic massage with medicated oils.

2. Pinda swedam

Application of warm herbal poultice/bags on the affected region or the whole body. There are different forms for this like:

3. Parishekam
This is a process in which the body part is made to perspire by continuously pouring luke warm herbal oils followed by gentle massage.

4. Avagaham
Patient is made to sit in a tub filled with luke warm herbal water.

5. Kati vasthy
Warm medicated oil is allowed to stay in low back for 20-30 minutes.

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