6 Reasons to Never Let a Back Injury Go Untreated

Back injuries may result from many things: engaging in sports activities, work, accidents, lifting heavy weights, or a fall. Back injury pain is unbearable and will worsen with time, making it essential to seek remedy early. Moreover, not treating your back injuries will keep you from carrying out your responsibilities and enjoying your life.

In this post, we've compiled a list of six conditions you may experience if you do not get your back injuries treated soon enough.

Chronic Back Pain

If you're suffering from severe back pain due to an injury, like a strain or tear, you should focus on fully recuperating that muscle. If you don't let your injury heal properly, it might grow into chronic back pain, characterized by discomfort that lasts for more than 12 weeks. Stress, sadness, drug addiction, and a reduced life quality have been linked to chronic back pain.

Spinal Injury

Often, you'll adjust your movement when you suffer back pain, which puts excess pressure and strain on other parts of your body. It's normal for pain in one part of the back to result in new or worsening pain in other parts of the back, particularly in the spine. 

Long-term nerve irritation happens when back discomfort is ignored for an extended period and can result in lasting disability. Spinal stenosis (shrinking of the spinal canal), radiculopathy (acute nerve pain), and nerve damage can result from untreated vertebral injuries.

Fortunately, you can seek a Hemilaminectomy procedure from any reputable hospital to help expand your spinal canal to minimize nerve pressure and compression.

Poor Sleep

Back pain has a significant effect on our sleep; and vice versa. Untreated back injuries will prevent you from getting into a more comfortable and supported posture during the night, making it difficult to get a decent night's sleep. 

Poor sleep is associated with poor general health and adds to attitude, concentration, and physiological well-being problems. As a result, it's essential to get your back treated immediately after you experience pain.

Depression

According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to half of all persons with chronic discomfort also often suffer from mood disorders like depression and anxiety. People experiencing chronic pain feel helpless, insignificant, and exhausted, which are symptoms of the most prevalent mood disorders. 

Likewise, individuals with prolonged back pain are more likely to experience financial difficulties due to missed work and medical expenses, which can result in depression. Furthermore, the pain and despair exacerbate each other, worsening both diseases.

Loss of Mobility

When you ignore your pain for an extended period, the injury worsens, resulting in decreased mobility and persistent stiffness. Losing one's capacity to move quickly will result in losing independence. 

This can contribute to or escalate depression. Weight gain and muscle weakness are other adverse effects of being unable to move. They may develop into more significant health concerns in the future, such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Muscle Fatigue

The muscles, ligaments, and bones in your back allow you to move and exercise properly. But If these areas of the body aren't functioning correctly, the rest of the body will suffer. Therefore, if you have severe back pain, you may notice that your body gets tired much more quickly than it used to.

Tips for Preventing Back Injuries

Exercise

Physical exercise is one of the standard methods of strengthening your back muscles. Exercise keeps you in good shape and prevents you from hurting your back quickly.

Eat Right

Adopting good eating habits will keep you at a healthy weight. It'll also reduce excess stress on your body.

Sleep Sideways

Try to always sleep on your sides, but if you like sleeping on your stomach, place a pillow beneath your lower abdomen to reduce stress from your back.

Maintain a Healthy Posture

Ensure you're working at a comfortable workstation, and you can also routinely stretch after working for a long period.

Reduce Stress 

Stress has a massive impact on the health of your back. When you're stressed, you strain your muscles, and this persistent tension can create back discomfort. Meditation, biofeedback, yoga, deep breathing, tai chi, and guided visualization are excellent ways to relieve stress.

Stop Smoking

Smoking has been linked to chronic back discomfort. While It's unclear how smoking impacts back health, one theory is that it causes blood vessels to shrink. As a result, insufficient nutrients and oxygen make the spine more vulnerable to injury and longer to heal.

Final Thoughts

If you're experiencing back pain, you're acutely aware of how frequently you use your back. Every small activity can hurt, such as sitting down, standing up, brushing your teeth, smiling, or breathing. This post has elaborated on the consequences of not treating your back injuries. Furthermore, we've lined up six tips for preventing back injuries.