According to data provided by the Italian Ministry of Health, 8 out of 10 people suffer from acute low back pain at least once in their lives. Acute low back pain is the most intense form of back pain.
Poor posture and lack of exercise are the most common causes of back pain. Dr. Lara Castagnetti, a specialist in physical medicine, rehabilitation and osteopathy in Humanitas explains. “If, when we sit we keep our back arched forward instead of placing it on the back rest as we should, the lumbar has a load capacity of 250kg. Compared to the 25kg or 70kg load capacity in each vertebrae when we are lying down or walking respectively. The risks are similar for the cervical spine when we use our mobile phones. 2-4 hours per day spent by many staring at the phone screen forces the first vertebrae in your neck to support a load of up to 27 kg of pressure.”
Osteopathy against back pain
We can get help for back pain from rehabilitative therapies. “Osteopathy for example, is a physiotherapy treatment which through very gentle manipulations, aims to facilitate the stretching of contracted muscles. It does so by acting as a sort of guided stretching. The number of sessions required can be variable. A session typically lasts 30-40 minutes, weekly, biweekly or monthly depending on the extent of the problem.
They are also useful exercises for muscle toning in the area of core stability. Core stability improves the stability of the pelvis and lumbar spine, thus reducing the load of the back muscles. The sessions required vary from 4 to 10 and must be carried out strictly under the supervision of a physical therapist. They offer exercises to tone the deep transverse abdominal muscles. This has nothing to do with bending forward like crunches or abdominal classics that are performed in the gym. These can be counterproductive and even risky” explains Dr. Lara Castagnetti .
Tecartherapy and acupuncture against acute pain
“The most effective treatment against acute pain is Tecar. This is physical therapy that uses two plates placed on areas of the back that hurt. The plates emit a non perceivable electric current that generates heat to heat the tissues in depth. This improves circulation, facilitates the reduction of inflammation, relaxes the contractions in the long muscles. It also helps the body repair small damages to the column.
Acupuncture was recognized as a natural painkiller by researchers at the National Institute of Health (US) in a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A new technique is quite common these days. Dry-needling. This involves the insertion of needles on the meridians, as with traditional acupuncture, but where there are muscle contractions, in the so-called trigger point level”, concludes Dr. Castagnetti.
