Common Back Injuries
Here are guidelines for the back injuries doctors see most often:
What goes wrong: Back muscles get strained, disks degenerate, and nerves are pinched.
Who gets it: Who doesn't? A full 80 percent of the population will experience significant back pain at some point.
Ways to prevent it: Your mother was right: Stand up straight! Having correct posture can fend off strain and pain.
How to fix it: Treatment runs the gamut from light exercise and a heating pad to major surgery, depending on the severity and type of pain.
The latest treatment: Recent studies suggest surgery helps people with a condition called degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis (when a vertebra slips out of alignment, eventually causing the spinal column to narrow and pinching nerves). People with sciatica, which is caused by a disk pressing against a nerve, are likely to get better over time, with or without surgery.
Click on the links below for guidelines on other common sports injuries:
Ankle Injuries • Elbow Injuries • Hip Injuries • Knee Injuries • Shoulder Injuries
Exercise Guide Special Report • More From Health
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