h.^ Kidney stones^
i.^ Menstrual pain^
j. Pelvic inflammatory disease
Summary
In this chapter, we have covered the chief pathological causes of back pain. Each of these
conditions has definite identifiable features in the history, on clinical examination and
investigations. When any of these features are seen, the orthopod or physician can be
reasonably certain that the back pain is due to one or more of these conditions. While in
certain cases like disc herniation, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and infections of the
spine it is possible to treat and even cure the condition by targeting the root cause of the
problem, in most other cases, the management is symptomatic i.e. the emphasis is on
alleviating the symptoms and not on correction of the underlying problem. This is the
reason why most of us carry our pain like a cross on our backs, living in fear from one
attack of severe pain to another. It is time for us to take charge of this situation by:
- Evaluating the different modalities of treatment currently available and selecting
only those that have proven value - Plan out a course of action when back pain strikes or if we have persistent back
pain - Outlining a set of preventive measures that must be followed once the back pain
has settled to prevent back pain from coming forever – in other words – SAY
GOODBYE TO BACK PAIN.
Sounds too good to be true? Let’s move on to the next chapter and see what’s in store for
us.