Almost every second German suffers from chronic or acute backache.
The root cause of acute or chronic backache is often a neurological disorder.
Backache has its origins not only in the bone structure, or spinal column, but also in disorders affecting nerve structures.
The range of causes is complex:
Backache is a neurological problem when illness affects the nerve roots. This is always the case when the pain spreads from the back to the buttock or leg, or else if it is associated with a feeling of numbness or paralysis.
Acute backache requires an immediate neurological examination.
A neurological examination can help to establish whether or not the nerve roots are also affected.
The neurologist can ascertain this on the basis of
- reflex differences
- sensory misperceptions in the individual spinal dermatomes
- xaminations of the muscle functions
Every nerve root is responsible for supplying particular muscle groups in the arms or legs. By analysing paralysis patterns, the neurologist can draw conclusions about the extent of the damage and make an immediate diagnosis.
The causes of the sickness in the nerve root must then be established. Acute or chronic intervertebral disc prolapses are generally responsible, but degenerative and inflammatory changes in the spinal column, bone tumours or metastases, or even circulatory disorders in the spinal cord, can also lead to backache and highly diverse types of back disorder.
With the help of an immediate neurological examination, a good differential diagnosis can be drawn up quickly and the appropriate treatment procedure can be initiated.
In cases where time is of the essence for the further treatment of an acute backache problem, an immediate, comprehensive diagnosis is urgently necessary.
Acute spinal disc problems, then, require immediate therapy to prevent the prolapse from becoming chronic.
The neurologist diagnoses the extent of the intervertebral disc prolapse on the basis of his comprehensive neurological examination.
The individual therapy plan must then be drawn up according to the seriousness of the intervertebral disc prolapse.
It is absolutely essential to hold an individual consultation on whether an operation or a conservative treatment procedure would be more suitable.
A frequent drawback of the operation is the formation of scar tissue that, after only a few years, can lead to renewed pain syndromes.
Our therapy for acute intervertebral disc prolapses involves the following:
- Acupuncture (see Traditional Chinese medicine)
- Phytotherapeutic injections on the basis of physiatrics
- Computer-supported deep heat programmes
- Careful computer-supported stretching manoeuvres on a specially-developed, computer-associated treatment table.