Treatment

• RICE principle is to be adopted in case of acute or severe low back pain for first 24–48 hours.
  R – Resting the painful area.
  I – Ice–cold packs at repeated intervals.
  C – Cold compresses application frequently.
  E – Elevation of the affected area to help movement of accumulated blood to other areas.
• Gentle low back massage followed by hot and cold affusions or fomentation.
• Infrared treatment to the affected area followed by direct mud application or a cold compress.
• Neutral spinal bath to relieve referred pain and numbness in the lower limbs.
• Neutral immersion and half bath with epsom salt for 10–20 minutes.
• Hot tip bath for 10–12 minutes for relieving back pain.
• Neutral jet massage, whirlpool baths and underwater massage to relax the stiff back muscles.
• Steam bath is also useful in providing muscular relaxation by its thermic effect.
• Regular back bending exercises coupled with maintenance of proper back posture, avoidance of lifting heavy weights and sudden jerks.
• Regular practice of breathing exercises help in movement of spinal cord resulting in relief from referred pains due to the compression on the nerve endings.

Rheumotoid Arthritis

It is a systemic or whole body disease. In addition to stiff, hot, painful and swollen joints, many patients experience acute fatigue, weakness, fever, malaise, and loss of appetite, anemia and weight loss. Connective tissue and organs in the body, including heart, lungs, nerves and eyes, may get damaged.

Again, as in many other diseases, the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis is not known. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues. There is often hereditary predisposition though the disease is not inherited.

Spinal Problems

The spinal column comprises of 33 tiny bones aligned perfectly from the bottom of the skull and running down to the hip region. Spinal cord supports the brain at the top, anchors the rib cage at the center and joints the pelvis at the bottom. The spine must carry the weight of human frame, be flexible and allow bending and rotation in all directions even with heavy load. It should also be hollow to allow delicate nerves and blood vessels to pass through it and emerge from its sides, not being damaged during movement and function adequately for a lifetime.

The individual vertebra is held together by ligaments. The spinal cord travels down a hollow vertebral canal towards the back sending out nerve roots through openings at the side of each vertebra. The sciatic nerve, which extends from lumbar region supplying to the lower limbs, is often involved in severe back pain. Between each vertebra there is a cushion made of gelatinous center called disc, which acts as a shock absorber and can withstand the weight equivalent to the weight of two refrigerators.