Orthopedic beds and mattresses

Back pain

Please be aware that the brief summary below should not be used to define, determine or treat back pain (or any other disorder). You should always seek professional medical advice for you specific pain or discomfort and follow it.

Back pain is second only to the common cold when it comes to complaints and afflictions of the human body. In the UK, North America and Western Europe, back pain is the largest single cause of sickness and absenteeism from work and, if not adequately managed, can become a long term, chronic and de-habilitating disease.

For all sufferers, back pain can disrupt daily routines and interfere with, or completely prevent, a good night’s sleep. Although back pain can occur at any age, the peak period is during mid-life (between the ages of 45 and 59).

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of back pain arise from muscles, ligaments and joints and the most common cause of lower back pain is a strain of the muscle groups, ligaments or tendons connected to the vertebrae of the spine.

Back pain can however have many causes and these range from muscle strains to more serious conditions like a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, spondylosisthesis, osteoporosis , or even a tumor. Consequently, it is vitally important to find out what the cause of the back pain is.

To make self diagnosis even more confusing, back pain may be combined with pain or spasms running into the legs. These pains travel down the leg, sometimes to below the knee and may be called sciatica. They are caused because the main nerve to the legs, the sciatic nerve, is irritated by pressure or stress on it.

Easing back pain

A series of signals can often point to the need for a new bed, but they are frequently ignored by most people. The time to consider buying a new orthopedic bed is when -

Back pain may not be preventable completely, but it may be possible to reduce the severity and frequency of the pain by taking preventative measures.

The first thing that any sufferer should do (with their doctor) is to rule out any obvious conditions or circumstances that could cause or contribute to their back pain. These circumstances include existing injuries.

For the greater majority of patients, lower back pain can be treated and eased with non-surgical care. These treatments can include physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, osteotherapy, or TDP (Magnetic, Heat, Infrared) treatments and all can have benefits.

Back pain and orthopedic beds

Sleeping on a soft or sagging mattress can lead to back pain and is now recognized as one of the biggest causes of, not just poor sleep patterns, but bad backs.

Good support for the back is always important, but as a person becomes older (with a decrease in muscle levels, flexibility of joints and ligaments) a supportive bed gains an increasing health value.

By maintaining the correct alignment of the spine, keeping localized pressure points on joints and muscles at bay, an orthopedic bed can prevent the potential onset of a range of back and spine related pains. These beds are designed specifically to provide optimum support for the body and to do so in a way that is restorative, restful and relaxing.

What kind of back pain do you suffer from?

Back pain comes in two forms, acute and chronic, and is most often experienced in the lower back.

Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder which affects the lumbar segment of the spine. Typically the symptoms of low back pain show significant improvement within two to three months from its onset.

Diagnosing the underlying cause of low back pain is usually done by a medical doctor, osteopathic physician, physiotherapist (physical therapist) or by a chiropractor.

Get medical advice

There are a number of health care professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating low back pain. These include the previously mentioned chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, physical therapists (physiotherapists), physiatrists, anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons or neurosurgeons.

Back pain is rarely the result of a serious disease.