Types of Back Pain

Today let's talk about the causes of back pain. Back pain can come from a number of reasons, the following list is not all inclusive.

• Overwork
• Stress
• Genetics
• Injury
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Age

We can overwork our back causing muscle soreness. This is the easiest to “cure” our backs will normally go back to a non-pain condition if we rest long enough. And the plus to this type of pain is that the overwork may help strengthen our back muscles which can keep future pain away.

 

Stress can also cause pain. When we are stressed our muscles will tighten. It happens in our head, the stress headache, and it can happen in other parts of our body as well. This type of pain can usually be controlled with a mild analgesic and can lessen as we control the stress. However, keep in mind a continual stressful condition can harm much more than our back. If you find yourself in continuous stress, seek help to eliminate it from your life.

 

Genetics can play a role as well. Genetics would determine structure of the vertebra in the back, and imperfections can lead to pain. In this situation there is generally only a few ways to deal with it. Constant pain medication or surgery. If the pain is bearable, consider other homeopathic ways of dealing with the pain. It has been our experience that there is a high level of failure in back surgery.

Injuries, whether on the job, in a car or other transportation vehicles, or any other way in this world can cause pain as well. Some injuries are mild and with some aspirin and time will heal nicely. Others are more serious, and as with genetics, the very worse injuries need to be deal with medically.

In the United States, we tend to have a problem with obesity. Obesity will foul the mechanics in the vertebra and cause injury to the spinal column due to extra stress on the joints. Sometimes just losing the extra pounds will help. While doing that, find ways to support good posture. Back support is available, along with our favorite, a great bed! Posture will allow your body to rest between stress periods.

Lack of proper exercise is another cause of back pain. The reason for this is our muscles work integrally with our vertebra to maintain a minimal stress position. When you ignore the muscles in the back, they will atrophy, or weaken, preventing them from doing the job. Add exercises designed to work the back muscles to strengthen them.



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And of course as we age, parts wear out. Things like osteoporosis or other degenerative diseases can weaken the bone, or wear down the discs that cushion them. Some medications can hasten this, like steroids. Talk with your doctor to determine the cause. This is probably the worse pain to deal with, and often the saddest for those who love you. There are some things you can do, from taking supplements, or changing diet, to surgery. Unfortunately, sometimes there is nothing that can correct the problem, then you will have to manage the pain. Again, talk to your doctor about proper pain management.

While doctors were mentioned a few times above, there are other providers to consider. Acupuncturists, and Chiropractors come to mind. And if you have read here before, we generally like to recommend the least invasive treatments first. Saving the most invasive treatments like surgery for if nothing else works. There are also some machines that gently stretch and align your back. Less invasive treatments also are less expensive, and have a quicker recover time. However you handle the scourge of back pain...

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Fibromyalgia and Sleep

Fibromyalgia is a disease that can impact sleep.  It can mimic arthritis, but is generally more related to muscles, a deep pain, and it generally is more widespread than arthritis.  Because of the pain, this disease will impact sleep, both quantity and quality.  So what should we do?

There are many who say they sleep enough at night, but feel fatigued when they wake.  The pain from Fibro is probably impacting the sleep cycles, preventing them from staying in the sleep cycles long enough to be productive.  Lack of sleep over a long term can affect other parts of your health.  So the trick would seem to be how to get enough sleep.  Getting enough sleep and the right kind can help your body to handle the pain better.

Sleep can be elusive, but is necessary, so it is important to learn to sleep better.  Sufferers from fibro need to be sleep experts.  And of course (here come the shameless self promotion), your bed can make a major impact.  If the bed conforms to you, it will spread the pressure out over more of your body, lessening it at any given point.  Less pressure means you can sleep better.  Our store sells beds that, if purchased correctly can mitigate pressure.  Whether it is our great Comfortaire air chambered beds, or our amazing Sleep Harmony foam products, good sleep can go a long way to helping you manage this issue.

Of course there are medical treatments to help with the pain, and since pain is the primary culprit, these would be a good thing, especially in more aggressive cases.  One thing not to rule out is other more natural ways to help your body sleep better.  For instance, low impact and aerobic exercise.  Exercise can do two things:  Help keep the stiffness in check, and help your body sleep better.  Just remember, you do not want to exercise close to bed time because it will bring up your body temperature, and increase your blood flow and tendency to be awake by decreasing certain hormones.



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If exercise is good for people in general, then it is crucial for the sufferers of fibro.  Diet can also impact your sleep, and with all health related issues, a good balanced diet is a very good thing.  The pain and lethargy of fibro will sometimes cause sufferers to not want to cook or exercise.  It is our spirit that can help keep us going.  And, if it helps that is even more encouraging.  A good body weight would also mean that the muscles have less work when at rest, which may help.  Strong muscles may also help over ride some pain, perhaps not all, but is it worth a try?

Most of fibro treatment is managing the disease.  We have not heard of a cure.  And that can be frustrating.  So a positive mental attitude is also important.  That may be the hardest part of this regimen, after all, chronic pain never goes completely away.  If you live with a person suffering, first understand it is real pain, then help support a healthy lifestyle, and perhaps get a book of jokes to try to keep your partner's attitude up.

The last thing for this post is to control stress.  Stress seems to be part of the equation, and many of us do not handle stress well.  Stress also increases our propensity to eat bad, and to save energy by not using any unnecessary movements, IE exercise.  So study stress management, and exercise to increase endorphins, the body's natural pain killers.  Find ways to control stress levels in your life, again different people react differently, but there is a method that will work, don't give up trying!

There is much we are learning on this disease.  It is important to keep watching the news on this, especially if you or a loved one suffer from it.  We hope that in the near future there will be strides towards eliminating this, and help those inflicted with it.  But until then...  try to...

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Living with Fibromyalgia

For those who don't know, fibromyalgia causes extreme pain in the muscles throughout the body.  This pain can be so intense that people who sufferer with this disease can not function normally.  This includes sleep.  In fact, 80% of fibromyalgia sufferers have sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops periodically through the night.  Some sleep apnea patients can actually wake themselves up at night.  This can cause poor sleep, which can increase the pain and stress that comes with fibromyalgia. 

Many people with fibromyalgia (20-40%) also suffer from restless leg syndrome. Restless leg syndrome is unpleasant twitches in the legs.  These twitches can be painful, requiring that the leg be moved to reduce the pain. 

75% of fibromyalgia sufferers also have TMJD, a condition where the patient grinds their teeth at night.  The next morning TMJD sufferers usually feel the pain from the grinding.

While doctors look to find the best treatment, and you should always see a doctor if you experience any of these problems, we can look towards some things that might mitigate what is going on.  First, muscle pain can be quite harsh.  Since most of this happens at night, it is only reasonable to look towards things that can improve quality of sleep, thus making it just a bit easier to face the next day.  Sleep apnea can be helped with the addition of an adjustable bed, what some call hospital beds, that today are made in all different sizes.  By sleeping with the head slightly elevated, the soft tissue that can cause an obstruction will react differently to gravity, often reducing the times we stop breathing.  Raising the legs slightly will help keep the body in proper posture, which may improve RLS.  And consider your mattress choice.  Too hard of a sleep surface can actually make the pain worse, as our muscles struggle against gravity all night to maintain posture.  The mattress should conform to the body to take the work off the muscles, allowing them to rest and heal at night.  There are several sleep systems that will accomplish this.  Try them all, since everybody is different, the solution should work best for you.  The four major mattresses are springs, water, memory foam and air.  All have their supporters and advantages, however with air technology, like that in the Comfortaire mattress, both partners are able to set the bed where they are most comfortable.  Spring mattresses with the right topper comfort materials will also work, but these beds tend to have a shorter life span.  And of course there is water beds, they conform very well, but they tend to be heavier and not quite as supportive as other types.

Take your time, find what works best for you....

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Posture

How good is your posture?  And why is it important?  When I was very young, teachers would tell us to "stand up straight", but we always like to slouch.  I have noticed when very young children sleep, they can contort themselves in all sorts of funny ways.  And being in the bed business, I have seen customers try out my products in their normal sleeping positions... WOW!  But why is it so darn important?  Posture is the way we balance our bodies against the force of gravity, the better the posture, the less effort required.  Our bodies are built to be efficient, that's why it is easier to say put weight on, than take it off.  And our skeletal systems are designed to waist as little effort as possible keeping our bodies up right.  But, we do have to encourage posture, especially when sitting or lying down.  Otherwise our joints and bones can become off line, making it that much harder to maintain posture, and causing pain.  So good posture will keep bones in the right alignment, so we use our muscles properly.  Good posture will help decrease the abnormal wearing in our joints, which can cause pain, like arthritis.  Good posture decreases the stress on our ligaments, which are the tissues that join our bones and joints together.  Good posture prevents the spine from becoming 'fixed' in an abnormal position.  Good posture helps prevent fatigue, allowing us to be more productive and increase stamina.  Good posture helps prevent over use problems, backache, and muscular pain.  Good posture contributes to an overall good appearance.

But we spend a third of our lives in bed, which is why Comfortaire is all about good waking posture while asleep.  Air technology helps you stay in alignment.  That means less stress on your joints and a better morning.  More than that, better alignment will help you sleep better, help combat things like acid reflux, and other conditions that rob us of productive sleep.  All this without cramming a towel under your lumbar, a pillow between your knees, or a sagging mattress.  

Sleep Well!

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