Chronic Back Pain and Depression

Chronic back pain can often lead to depression which can increase how much pain you feel. It can become a vicious cycle that can spiral out of control; especially if your back pain is not responding to treatment and therapies as there is no end in sight to the pain, therefore any hope of it ever ending.

If you are one of those people who have to cope with chronic back pain, pretty much the last thing you need is to slide into a depression. Unfortunately this is what happens to many people; it can be a vicious circle, depression can lead to back pain, it may also increase your response to pain, and this makes your pain worse and increases your depression.

Or it can be the reverse, having to deal with chronic back pain often depresses people as it can change how you live your daily life. When you have chronic back pain it often means endless doctors appointments and various treatments that never seem to offer any lasting relief from their pain.

Chronic back pain can also cause insomnia, and being chronically fatigued can negatively impact your mood, making you feel like nothing is going your way. It is all of these things combined that can begin to wear you down to the point where you can no longer look after yourself as you are drained physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

All of these things can lead to frustration, anger, despair, and depression. One of your best hopes you have is, to find a pain treatment that will reduce your pain enough that you can investigate the best possible way for you to move on to a proper diagnosis of your condition and treatments that will help you in the long term.

Spine surgeon in Chennai who specialize in chronic pain are aware of this problem and will oftentimes prescribe anti-depressant medications not only for its pain relieving properties, but for its ability to lift depression brought on by chronic back pain. It is helpful to arm yourself with the knowledge that your chronic back pain may cause depression so that you can take steps to help yourself and realize just what is happening.

If you are dealing with chronic pain and you have any of these symptoms you should advise your doctor so that your depression does not get any worse:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Stressed out
• Fatigue
• Inability to sleep
• Weight gain or loss, if you are currently exercising to deal with your back pain a loss in weight may be normal
• Inability to perform your job
• You may feel isolated
• Sexual problems
• you may be concerned about your financial situation

These are all normal reactions to depression caused by chronic pain but if you don't have things in place in your life to deal with them, they can have a negative impact on your treatment. Do not be afraid to seek out the help you need, consult with your doctor and explain your problems and troubles so that they can help you help yourself.

Know The Causes Of Lower Left Back Pain to Avoid Discomfort

Lower Left Back Pain is common among people and can be caused by a number of reasons. Improper use of the back muscles lead to Lower Left Back Pain. If you sit on a chair for longer periods, say in front of the computer, poor posturing, where the left side of the back is under constant strain, can lead to Lower Back Pain. Check with best neurosurgeon in Chennai if have such problems.

Lower Left Back Pain is part of the larger lower back pain condition, which affects people mostly. The reason why the back suffers can be attributed to our sedentary life style. An office job in the pre-computer era was not as strenuous for the back as it is now. 

In those days, people would keep shifting weight and position in their chairs to allow rest to the back. Now with computer monitors fixed in a particular position, there is little scope for adjusting your position and weight in your office chair. 

Sitting in one particular position for hours together puts the lower back under a lot of strain. The back cannot take this constant strain on everyday basis. This initially leads to lower back stiffness and gradually the back starts getting painful.

The lower back cushions the weight of the upper body, and it acts as a shock absorber to reduce the impact of walking and running. Joggers, who jog on cemented tracks or on roads, expose their backs to greater risk of injury because of higher intensity of shock. 

Lower Left Back Pain can start with injury to the left leg, hip or back. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, discs and bones are under constant strain when we are mobile. Our turning, twisting and bending movements also put the lower back under strain. Regular back stretching and strengthening exercises will keep your back supple and strong.

Infection of the left kidney and the sciatica nerve of the left leg can also cause Lower Left Back Pain. If you experience sharp pains in the left side of the back, consult a physician to diagnose your condition.

Some Facts About The Herniated Disc

When one is involved in an accident, or has lifted a heavy object, that is beyond his capacity, or has caused some injury to his or her spine, he or she may be likely to suffer from a back injury called a herniated disc. This means that the disc within his spinal cord has either ruptured, broken or has fractured. This usually happens when someone has come into contact all of a sudden with a solid body, through a particular force. Find more information about herniated disc discussed by neurosurgeon in chennai.

The herniated disc is associated with people who have very low muscle content on their back, so that certain strenuous activity like carrying heavy loads or certain instantaneous occurrences like an accident will cause the gradual straining of nerves on the disc. When this occurs, the usual consequence involves the further reduction of the nerve space, thus resulting in the constant irritation of the nerves that someone usually experiences on several occasions.

With further and further reduction in elasticity of the spine, the disc becomes more and more brittle. The acquisition of this state makes the disc prone to such occurrences as snapping, just like any material which has a brittle property within it. 

A disc will therefore push outside its socket, making it to bulge out of position. As it is now outside the vertebrae, the nerves that surround this disc are displaced, squeezed further more, thus the irritation that has been mentioned earlier. As much as there is some extra space for a herniated disc to bulge on, the more it does so, the more the nerve is compressed, and cause potential harm to the body.

There are a couple of diagnostic procedures that are used to detect the eminent presence of a herniated disc disorder, yet, there are so many causes that potentially make up such symptoms like the one given above. 

There are other forms of disc degeneration, tumors that can grow and other space occupying lesions that can potentially cause certain forms of irritation. Other causes of these symptoms are metastases, and they do result in the same irritation. Therefore, there are ways in which one can detect herniation, through some imaging tests that can be carried out.

X-rays are a good way to start, since they spot any forms of tumors relatively easily. Thus through elimination method, the tumor can be ruled out if not adequately spotted. A CT scan is also another imaging method that can be used to detect this. 

The CT scan views even the shape of the disc that has bulged out, making a view of the adjacent structure and the potential cause of the herniation. The MRI is also suggested, and its results almost resemble those of a CT scan.