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Lifting a heavy box, quickly twisting to snag a toddler and reaching
for the top shelf are all fairly mundane activities. Unless,
of course, you have a bad back. Then, these tasks become an
"Ouch!" waiting to happen. Familiar with the throes of back pain,
Velimir Micovic, MD, hopes to relieve some of the distress by
discussing when backaches warrant medical attention and when not to
be alarmed.
"You should not worry if you know the reason the pain started,"
says Dr. Micovic. "If you lifted something, if you can
identify the origin of a sudden onset of pain, a muscle ache, then
your back pain should be short-lived, nursed at home and not be
worrisome."
Most back pain stemming from a sudden movement can be soothed by
practicing good posture, placing heat on the aching area, massaging
gently and taking over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen
or Tylenol.
"If the back pain started without any significant reason," warns
Dr. Micovic, an anesthesiologist with a subspecialty in pain
management, "there may be something to investigate, especially if
the pain lasts more than 24 hours. Then, you should see your
primary care physician.
Consult a doctor if back pain starts spreading down the legs,
indicating more than a simple muscle spasm or aging disc
degeneration, and potentially signaling serious nerve compression.
"I would be a little worried if the initial pain gets better
after a day or two, but then the pain returns," says Dr. Micovic.
"If the situation reverses, pain returns and feels progressively
worse, see a doctor." Dr. Micovic has seen patients without health
insurance postpone a visit because they could not afford one.
He has seen elderly patients neglect symptoms, blaming their usual
aches of arthritis. "When they come to see me, nerve damage
may have already happened," says Dr. Micovic. Patients who are
placed on narcotics after an injury need to beware. The long
use of narcotics can be counter-effective, leading to tolerance or
addiction. "If your pain has not been corrected by medication, see
a specialist dealing with back pain or a neurologist for further
diagnosis," stresses Dr. Micovic. "Often, I see a patient who
has been in pain for three months. They started with two
painkillers a day, now they're taking six. I wish I could have
seen the patient months earlier because now we have an additional
problem."
Here Are Some Simple Exercises
To Relieve Back Pain...
- Lying on a mat and lifting the knees toward the
chest will stretch back muscles.
- Rolling over on the belly and lifting the upper
body with the elbows allows hips and the lower back
to sink down, relieving stress.
- Pool-based exercises, walking in chest-high
water, swimming the breast stroke or slow water
aerobics will also alleviate pain while not adding
pressure to parts of the spine.
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Velimir Micovic, MD
Pain Management Center
16281 Bass Road, #300
Fort Myers, FL 33908
239-985-3640
708 Del Prado Blvd., #7
Cape Coral, FL 33990
239-772-6492 |
