What Causes a Back Injury?
Back injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, including while playing sports, from lifting something that is too heavy, or because of a vehicular collision. The pain from a back injury is felt in different areas of the back, but it may radiate through the entire back from the base of the neck to the waist. If you have a backache, then you may try to rest for a few days, take over-the-counter pain medication, or apply ice packs. You might buy a generic elastic back brace to support your back while it heals. If you are experiencing persistent back pain then getting checked by one of our physicians at WellCare Urgent Care would be beneficial to solve this.
What Are the Symptoms Associated with Back Injuries?
Along with discomfort from a back injury, you can have other symptoms that include:
- Inability to walk or stand straight
- Shooting pains in the legs
- Stabbing sensations
- Inability to bend over
- Spasms in the muscles
- Numbness in the shoulders or arms
When you lift something heavy, you may feel pain in your back right away, or alternatively, the discomfort may occur gradually over several days. You will know that the cause of your backache is due to overextending your back’s ligaments. However, if you injure your back from a trauma such as a blow to the body while playing football or being involved in a motorcycle accident, then you should visit an urgent care center such as WellCare Urgent Care for an evaluation right away.
What Can Contribute to a Back Injury?
A physician can examine your back, collect your health history, and check your X-rays to learn more about the condition of your back to determine if you have these conditions:
- Osteoporosis – a condition that causes loss of bone tissues
- Spine irregularities – defects of the spine that cause abnormal curvatures
- Arthritis – arthritic conditions that affect the vertebrae
- Strain or sprain – injuring the ligaments such as the muscles and tendons
- Fractures – fractures of the vertebrae in the back
- Disk disorders – injuries to the delicate disks in the back
While a back problem may not seem like an emergency, the vertebrae in the back protect the spinal cord that contains nerves that control your body’s movements.
Underlying Causes of a Back Injury
If you aren’t eating a healthy diet, then you may not consume enough calcium and other nutrients to keep the bones in your spine and other nearby areas strong.
Come into WellCare
Dealing with back pain leads to a life that can be hard to enjoy. The back pain could be a symptom of a bigger problem in the body. If you are experiencing back pain come into WellCare Urgent Care in Grand Rapids to get checked by a physician and a treatment regimen started. We accept walk-ins at our Cascade and Leonard locations, or you can book a same-day appointment online.
