Back on the Road

We all know travel can be a pain, but when it hits below the belt you need to know there’s something you can do about it

Nearly a third (28.4 percent) of adults in the US experienced lower back pain last year, according to the National Institutes of Health. The causes include sciatica, often attributable to a “slipped disc.” Lower back pain, with or without sciatica, is widely recognized as one of the most severe sources of chronic pain.

Factors such as bad posture, elevated stress levels, cigarette smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and weight are all known to contribute to the onset of back pain and sciatica.

Sciatica is the collective name for a set of symptoms (including pain, weakness or numbness in the buttocks or leg, and a burning/tingling sensation down the leg) caused by a disc bulge (also called a prolapsed, herniated or slipped disc). The predisposition to this disc bulge is genetic but the event of “slipped disc” itself can be caused by lifestyle or injury: any sudden jerking movements – from a car accident, for example – can place too much pressure on the disc, causing it to bulge. Most get better after about three months, but some disc bulges cause longerterm pain.

CORE OF THE ISSUE