The Causes Of Back Pain In Teenagers
Tension can show itself in backaches. Holding the body taut, as though ready to pounce, can keep the muscles so tense that they soon become painful. Backaches and pains in other parts of the body are often brought on by worries about relationships with others. There may be fear of failure at school, or on the job, or with the gang. Needless worry about disease may be a contributing factor.
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Very often, however, the case history shows that there is a physical reason for the back pain. Pure muscular overwork, whether sudden, spasmodic, or long-continued, can certainly cause muscular aches. The boy who has just started to carry forty pounds of newspapers in a bag slung over his shoulder on a hilly route may well find that some muscles he didn’t even know he had are crying out for relief. It is true, however, that continued exercise leads to a greater ability to perform with less fatigue and discomfort. Tired, painful back muscles can often be helped by simple, light exercises which should be gradually increased. A doctor, physical therapist, or physical education adviser can usually prescribe exercises that best fit the individual’s needs.
Backaches are frequently brought on by poor posture. Sitting in a slumped position may look comfortable, but unless a sitting person holds the lower part of his back straight up, the muscles there are being put under an abnormal strain. It doesn’t take long for slumpers to develop backaches.
The same sort of muscle tension may result from sleeping in a sagging bed. If the sag causes the low back muscles to work when they should be resting, a “good night’s sleep” may produce aching back. The best remedy is a firm mattress, or a bed board placed under the mattress, so that the back muscles will get more rest during the night.
Sometimes a chronic or recurring backache can be an accompaniment of an infection such as poliomyelitis or meningitis. Obviously, early medical diagnosis and treatment are very important. Back pain may also accompany pneumonia and influenza. Severe tuberculosis of the spine (Pott’s disease) is fortunately rare nowadays, but still occasionally causes marked pain and deformity.
Seldom are backaches due to abnormalities in the structure of the bones of the spinal column or of the hip area. Medical examination may reveal tenderness in certain spots. Also certain motions of the back may be limited. X-ray studies help diagnose such a condition. Occasionally the growing part of one of the vertebrae, the bones that make up the spinal column, has an abnormal development during adolescence. The basic cause of the difficulty is unknown, but the condition is one called
osteochondrosis. It is similar to what is sometimes seen in the knees, when it is called Osgood-Schlatter disease, or in the hips, when it is called Legg-Perthes disease.
When the spine has the bone and cartilage disturbance, it is called Scheuermann’s disease. In some cases slight rest is all that is necessary. If the osteochondrosis is more severe, long-term bed rest may be ordered. Occasionally body casts are used to insure a more complete resting of the diseased part of the body.
A backache can stem from kidney difficulties or be a result of holding back on bowel movements. In every case that lasts more than a short time or is quite severe, it is wise to go over the entire story with a doctor and have him make a complete examination. Laboratory studies can often be helpful.
