Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the commonest reasons to present to your doctor’s clinic. The region between the lower rib margins and the buttock creases is known as the lower back or lumbar region. Almost every person presents with lower back pain (LBP) once in their lifetime.
It can badly affect your day-to-day life. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reports, lower back pain (LBP) is the commonest cause of job-related disability. According to a study conducted in 2020, there is a strong association between lower back pain (LBP) and absenteeism. High intensity work is associated with an increased probability of being absent of work place because of lower back pain (LBP). [1]
Sometimes, it is not easy to identify the specific cause of your lower back pain (LBP). Recent clinical trials suggest that individuals with physically demanding jobs, smokers, obese, or physical and mental comorbidities are at the highest risk of developing lower back pain (LBP).
Most of the time, the reason behind your lower back pain (LBP) may be muscle sprain, strain, trauma, sudden body movements, or lifting heavy objects. It can also be due to the following causes.
Musculoskeletal pain: Muscle pain is the commonest cause of lower back pain (LBP).
Lumbar disk disease: Lumbar disk disease, mostly at the level of L4-L5 or L5-S1 vertebrae, may lead to lower back and leg pain.
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS): It is acquired in almost 75% of cases. It is likely due to degenerative conditions like scoliosis, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis; Paget’s disease; spine surgery; trauma; and endocrine diseases.
Spondylosis: It primarily involves the cervical and lumbosacral spine. Lower back pain (LBP) due to spondylosis increases intensity with body movement and relieves upon inactivity.
Cancer: Patients with systemic cancer mostly present with lower back pain (LBP). It will be constant, dull, unrelieved by rest, and gets worse at night.
Infection: Staphylococci and other bacteria may spread to the vertebrae and cause vertebral osteomyelitis. Tuberculosis is also a common vertebral infection.
Trauma: Check for any injury to your vertebrae.
Referred Pain: Lower back pain (LBP) may be a referred pain from other parts of your body.
The management of lower back pain (LBP) is very crucial and often requires a multimodal approach. First of all you should chek for red-flag signs. These need urgent medical care and you should approach your doctor urgently.
The red-flag signs are
The low-cost PEMF device uses electromagnetic modality to generate a magnetic field and targets the body at a cellular level.
Once the red flags have been ruled out, now you can look for some easy methods to be used at home. Most of the guidelines recommend non-pharmacological and non-invasive techniques as a first-line therapy. Some of the non-pharmacological and non-invasive options to relieve your low back pain (LBP) are
If it is not being relieved by these modalities, you should consult with your doctor. He will consider pharmacological or invasive options according to your underlying pathology.
Pharmacological options: This includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), skeletal muscle relaxants, and opioids. But these can cause addiction, dependence, and some other harmful effects in long-term use.
Invasive or surgical procedures: This includes acupuncture, nerve block, neuro-reflex-therapy, electro-acupuncture, percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS),and injection of therapeutic substance into the spine.
Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a latest therapeutic technique being used to relieve lower back pain (LBP). Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) uses a very low-frequency electromagnetic waves with an extended range of frequencies. PEMF machine has proven its efficacy and safety to relieve lower back pain (LBP) in many clinical trials. That’s why FDA approves its clinical use in broken bones, tissue and joint pain, and some other diseases.
The use of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has increased in the last decade in rehabilitation treatment. It provides a non-invasive, safe, and easy method to directly treat the site of injury, the source of pain and inflammation, and other types of disease.
A randomized, patient-blinded, clinical trial on pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy effectiveness in non-specific low back pain patients published in 2018-19 concludes that PEMF therapy has relieved the pain intensity and has improved functionality in individuals with non-specific low back pain. [4]
The answer to this question is not straightforward. It depends on the underlying cause of your lower back pain (LBP). If it is due to some pathology or structural problem, then it’s not possible to prevent it entirely.
There are many ways to prevent lower back pain (LBP). You can reduce your risk of developing lower back pain (LBP) by doing fllowing things.
DCcure is the best PEMF machine. If you want to buy a PEMF machine to relieve your lower back pain (LBP), DCcure should be the first choice. A low-cost PEMF machine like DCcure is the clinician’s choice and recommendation because of its safety and efficacy.
It is an FDA Class 1 listed and highly effective pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapeutic device. It is affordable, safe, and very easy to use. You can apply it to your most painful areas at home or outside.
In 2019, a clinical trial was conducted on 42 patients 18-75 years of age. The trial has proven its safety and efficacy in patients with lower back pain (LBP).
• A Randomized Controlled clinical trial was conducted in 2019 by Anthony J Lisi et al. The title was “A Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy Device for Non-Specific Low Back Pain.” The PEMF device used in the study was “MDcure®, Aerotel Ltd., Holon, Israel, and Aerotel Inc. USA, New York, NY, USA.” The study concluded that this device is safe and effective. It improves non-specific low back pain (NLBP). And it has not shown any adverse or severe effects.[5]