Most types of leg and back pain fall under two broad categories: chronic and acute. Acute pain, also called short-term pain, is very common. Approximately four out of every five American adults suffer from acute leg and back pain, with symptoms usually lasting from several days to a few weeks.
Chronic leg and back pain, on the other hand, can last for more than two months. This type of pain is quite often a symptom of another and more serious underlying condition. If you suffer from chronic leg and back pain, it's important to see your doctor. You can't properly treat the pain until you determine the initial cause.
People can suffer from leg and back pain for a number of reasons. Two of the most common causes are sciatica and lumbar spine stenosis.
Lumbar Spine Stenosis
This degenerative disease of the lumbosacral spine affects up to 90 percent of the U.S. population, particularly those in the middle aged and elderly age groups. Lumbar spine stenosis causes disability, loss of productivity and morbidity.
Sometimes, the cauda equina roots, a type of nerve found within the spine, become entrapped within the dural sac, resulting in lumbar spine stenosis. The patient suffers excruciating and incapacitating leg and back pain. Progressive hypertrophy of any of the osseocartilaginous and ligamentous elements, which are the soft tissues surrounding the spinal canal, creates the entrapment of the cauda equina roots.
Complicating the problem further, these degenerative changes or possible trauma can cause the intervertebral disc to rupture or herniated. This disc is composed of a gelatinous substance with centrally located nucleus pulposes and a peripherally located annulus fibrosis.
Lumbar stenosis mostly affects middle-aged to elderly men, although it has been known to occur in women and younger patients. Leg and back pain is the earliest symptom of the disease. Unfortunately, many patients choose to treat the pain with self-care methods, rather than consulting a physician or specialist, resulting in delayed diagnosis.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition affecting the sciatic nerve, caused by a herniated lumbar disc. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the buttocks and into the leg, so the pain often occurs in any of these affected areas. Leg and back pain caused by sciatica can range from mild to severe.
The herniation or degeneration of the lumbar disc causes it to compress onto one of the contributing roots of the sciatic nerve, resulting in sharp and 'shooting' leg and back pain. Often, pain in the leg, posterior, thigh or foot is much worse than the accompanying lower back pain. When the condition first occurs, the patient will usually experience severe pain that originates in the buttocks and runs all the way down through the legs or foot. Some patients report feeling no accompanying back pain at all.
In order to effectively treat either of these causes of leg and back pain, it's essential to treat the disorders themselves. Typical self-help remedies, such as over-the-counter pain medications, offer little or no help. Detecting the disorder in the early stages can help in finding effective pain relief, so it's important to consult with your health care professional if you suffer from chronic leg and back pain.
The flu? The Common cold? No, the largest cause of physician visits is lower back pain, apart from headaches.
Lower back pain can be quite a drag, especially since its usually accompaniend by dreadful foot and leg pain. A major cause of foot, leg, and back pain is harsh and demanding work environments, where a worker can stand on an extremely hard surface for prolonged time frames.
Working on hard surfaces can cause severe fatigue, which is when the muscles are constricted and blood flow is reduced. In this state, the heart works a lot harder to pump blood through the troubled areas, and the body runs out of energy. The negative effects are pain and exhaustion.
One solution to this ever-growing problem is to use anti fatigue mats in the workplace, especially in areas where a lot of standing labor is performed. Apart from cushioning, anti fatigue mats provide a gentle "rebound" which encourages subtle movement of leg and calf muscles, thus promoting an easier flow of blood to and from the heart. Basically, through more efficient muscle activity, the imbalance of constricted blood is virtually eliminated.
So what is the proof that anti fatigue mats actually work?
There are several studies that prove the efficacy of anti fatigue mats, with the most notable one being a format study at the Center of Ergonomics at the University of Michigan. Mark Redfern, an economist, tested the effects of a variety of floor conditions on physical fatigue. Fourteen subjects were required to stand throughout their entire shift at the Ford Chesterfield Trim Plant. Two of the surfaces tested were concrete and a 3/8" rubber anti-fatigue mat. The conclusive result of the study was that hard concrete floors caused the greatest amount of discomfort and fatigue, while anti fatigue mats were able to reduce it by as much as 50%.
Your company can directly benefit from the use of anti fatigue mats through increased worker productivity, reduced worker compensation costs, and lower insurance costs and absenteeism. Since it is a well-established fact that companies are losing billions of dollars each year due to the above mentioned worker related issues, it only makes sense to make a trivial investment on anti fatigue matting to dramatically reduce these losses.
In addition to pain and discomfort, prolonged standing on hard surfaces can also cause long-term problems. Pronation, which is the extensive flattening of the foot, and varicose veins, which are caused by the stagnation of blood in lower areas, are two health problems associated with standing trauma. These problems are very costly in terms of worker compensation and insurance, not to mention the resulting lack of productivity and employee turnover.
Anti fatigue mats are a real solution, as recommended by the National Safety Council in its publication "Ergonomics". Amongst the professionals who recommend anti fatigue mats are ergonomists, occupational nurses, insurance agents, and POM managers.
It is essential that the workplace be safe and pleasant in order to promote the highest levels of productivity, reduce the rate of absenteeism and turnover, increase employee satisfaction, and as a direct result, cut costs and improve profits.
Both Myron Huett & Yamen Khatib are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Myron Huett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Vegetarian Diet, Anti Oxidant and Yoga. Columnist Myron Huett is a writer for numerous web magazines, on and t. Myron Huett's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Yamen Khatib has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Recreation and Sports and Yoga. Yamen Khatib helps small businesses improve their bottom-line through safe and productive workplace settings. He distributes thr. Yamen Khatib's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.