Early detection can help you save on health cost I

Prevention is better than cure, as they say. The growing health insurance segment bears this truism out, which is witnessing almost 100% claims ratio. Insurers say that some 16 out of every 100 policyholders register claims under the health policy every year. In other words, the cost of treating 16 policyholders is equal to the premium collected from 100. 

Insurers have now discovered that they can make substantial money out of health insurance if they can prevent one out of 100 policyholders from falling ill. To this effect, they are now offering freebies like free health check-ups and discounts on gym memberships to policyholders.

The same financial logic applies to individuals as well. For instance, getting a cavity filled in early will help save several times the amount on a root canal treatment. Most ailments requiring surgery do not occur overnight, but build-up over a period of time and in many cases, can be detected early through regular checks. Doctors say, you almost save up to 50% on health costs with regular check-ups, exercise and balanced diet. The idea is to avoid severe health complications which could also take a toll on your biological as well as financial health.

Monitor BP and sugar levels 
Blood pressure is a function of stress and anxiety rather than heredity. Such cases can be kept monitored through counselling, yoga and meditation instead of direct medication if the BP is not alarmingly high. “You can read the early signals such as a constant headache and body ache. Patients suffering from severe stress and hypertension should get their BP checked at least once every week.

Otherwise, once a month check-up would suffice,” explains Dr T Samuel, a senior medical practitioner. BP test can be done for as low Rs 50 with a general physician. Diabetes is a function of heredity, hence it is better to monitor your sugar levels twice a year if any of the parents or grand parents are diabetic.

Exercise and side-effects 
Join a gym, shake a leg to some music or just go for a brisk walk in the neighbourhood park for half an hour everyday. There are a plethora of exercise options. First, it will help you destress, thereby keeping tabs on your BP. It helps production of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol. It helps you lose weight and maintain an ideal BMI (body mass index) and promote better sleep, leading to a healthier lifestyle.

A cervical or a lower back pain doesn’t sound new to most working professionals who spend 90% of their time sitting in front of the computer. “Just taking a walk every half an hour in the office may sound like a breezy suggestion. But it helps you break the monotonous posture. This combined with regular exercise, good posture and stretches should help the pain ease up,” explains Dr KS Ramakrishnan, a Mumbai–based senior physiotherapist.

Check your oral hygiene 
You don’t have to walk to your dentist only when you develop a cavity or for a root canal. It could be for flossing, threading, crowding of teeth or just a gum check. If your gums hurt or bleed while brushing or flossing, or you experience a persistent bad breath, you should visit a dentist. These could be early signs for persistent dental problems. 

How to Prevent Back Pain

Basic preventive measures

Some ways to reduce muscle tension in the back and reduce the risk of Lower Back Pain.

A healthy lifestyle

• Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if you are overweight. To find your body mass index (BMI), take our test.
• Make of regular exercise and warm up before starting a physical activity. This is the best way to maintain strength and flexibility back. Pay particular attention to the muscles of the abdomen and back, which is a natural corset for the spine while protecting it from shocks. It is important to learn the exercises under the supervision of a qualified instructor. Poorly executed exercises may trigger or aggravate back pain.
• Reserve moments of relaxation.

Good posture

• Be aware of posture at all times. The back is straight, eyes forward, shoulders back.
• To lift a heavy object, squat down by bending the knees while keeping your back straight, stand up and unfolding the legs while holding the object close to your body. Avoid twisting.
• To shovel the snow, keep your back as straight as possible. To do this, place the lowest hand possible on the handle, bend your knees to pick up snow, use the knee as a lever when the load is heavy, and avoid twisting the back when it rejects the snow.

At work

• If you must stay long standing, use a low stool on which lay the feet alternately, alternating every five to ten minutes.
• If you must sit for long hours at the office or driving a vehicle, making stops to stretch and stretch.
• Use straight-backed chairs that support well the lower back.
• Use a swivel chair to minimize twisting.
• Adjust the height of the chair or put your feet on a small stool so that knees are slightly higher than hips.
• For computer work, adjust the screen height so that the eyes are fixed straight ahead and head, relatively straight.

Think about it

• Focus on backpacks to handbags, and use both shoulders to carry the backpack.
• Push heavy objects rather than pull them.
• Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes (over 5 cm). Porter rather tight fitting shoes that provide good support.

Who are at Risk of Lower Back Pain and Lower Back Ache Risk Factors

Lower Back Pain one of the several Body Pain. Due to symptoms and causes of Lower Back Ache, a list of people at risk is created :

• People whose job requires spending long hours sitting or standing.
• Workers required to lift or pull heavy loads.
• Workers who frequently have to lean forward or perform torso twists side.
• Pregnant women, who bear an extra weight of 9 kg to 12 kg in the stomach and whose hormones control a relaxation of muscle tissue (primarily the pelvic region to facilitate delivery, but also near the spine).
• People whose parents suffered from degenerative disc disease, of OA or of osteoporosis.

Risk Factors of Lower Back Pain

• Lack of physical training or overtraining.
• Overweight.
• Poor posture.
• Wearing high-heeled shoes.
• The smoking because it contributes to the osteoporosis.
• The stress extended. Repressed emotions or where unsatisfactory work contribute to back pain. Stress increases muscle tension in the back.

Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

Due to the complex anatomy of the lumbar spine and the multiple causes of pain in his lower back, symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. For the same condition, two people can describe their pain very differently.

• If the pain in his lower back occurs suddenly and is manifested by a sudden and intense contraction of muscles is usually a sign of muscle damage, sprained ligaments, breaking or removal of a disc.
• If pain culminates in the morning and diminishes with movement and stretching, it may be a muscle trauma or of osteoarthritis.
• When the pain goes down along the posterior part of one or both legs, it is neuralgia sciatica. The pain is then exacerbated by coughing, sneezing or exercise. This type of pain can be a sign of a herniated disc.
• If the pain in the lower back is worse at night and is not relieved by exercise, it can be caused by pressure exerted by inflammation, a diseased organ or a tumor.

Categories of Lower Back Pain

Acute pain: pain that can last up to four weeks (commonly called lumbago). Although short-term, acute back pain can cause much discomfort, impose a work stoppage for a few days and significantly interfere with daily activities.
Subacute pain: pain that usually lasts from four weeks to three months, more or less constant.
Chronic pain: constant pain lasting longer than three months. The causes of chronic back pain is sometimes difficult to determine. The sufferers must often consider significant changes to their lifestyle.

What causes Lower Back Pain ?

Back pain is a symptom. It is therefore important to identify the source of evil to find the best treatment. The causes of back pain are varied. Often it is difficult to pinpoint the origin of evil.

Here are the sources of pain the most frequent.

• An injury to a muscle, tendon or ligament. An effort or unusual twist or accumulation of microdamage caused by repetitive motion may be the cause. People in poor physical condition are most at risk.
• The disc degeneration. Between each vertebrae there are kinds of small cushions called intervertebral discs. They help absorb shock and provide flexibility to the spine. With aging, discs lose their elasticity. It shows a disc degeneration in almost all persons over 60 years. Some athletes also experience this problem around the quarantine, especially those who practice an activity that creates pressure on the spine.
• A herniated disc. A portion of the gel content in the intervertebral disc protrudes outward and compresses the nerve roots. Poor posture, excess weight, pregnancy and disc degeneration are major causes of disc herniation.
• A gynecological problem. Many women have back pain on a regular or constant, because of painful periods, of endometriosis, etc..
• Slippage of one vertebra onto another vertebra (spondylolisthesis). This situation can occur due to a congenital weakness in the vertebral structures or following trauma.
• Arthritis, osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. These health problems are common among the elderly. If the osteoporosis of the spine is important, it can cause a vertebral fracture.

Whatever the origin of back pain, there is often a contraction of muscles around the painful area. It is a protective reflex. This contraction may itself cause the pain. A vicious cycle can then begin and contribute to chronic pain.

Lower Back Pain - Another Body Pain

Lower Back Pain, which means pain in the lower back is very common. Indeed, over 90% of people suffer at one time or another of a sore back, and this most often spent their twenties, with the adoption of sedentary lifestyles.

In the vast majority of people, pain is the lumbar. This region of the back, constantly sought, supports a significant proportion of body weight.

Back pain a type of body pain, is a complex problem that often conventional medicine alone can not alleviate. In many cases, especially if the pain is chronic, a holistic approach that takes into account both the psychological and emotional and physical need. We can thus achieve reduced pain, or at least learn how to live with it.

The lumbar spine

The lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae, small cylindrical bones and empty bunk in their center (see diagram above). The spinal cord passes into the cavity. The marrow consists of a bundle of nerve fibers motor, sensory and associative. The space between the vertebrae is cushioned by a disk of soft tissue that contains a gel which serves to allow the mobility of the vertebrae, while preventing them from rubbing against each other. The whole is surrounded by muscles, tendons and ligaments whose role is to ensure stability and mobility of the delicate joints of the spine.

Back Pain (Lower Back Pain)

A type of Body Pain is Back Pain. Generally people suffer form Lower Back Pain. Pain in the lower portion of Back or say low back pain is a common concern now a days, affecting more than 80% of world population a some point in their lifetime. And above 50% of population have more than one episode of back pain. Low back pain is a symptom not a specific disease which is caused from variety of different processes. Despite a thorough medical examination, no specific cause is identified in more than 80% of people suffering from low back pain.

- After Common Cold, Low back pain is another cause of lost days at work. Back Pain, Lower Back Ache now became one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor.

- For 90% of people, even those with nerve root irritation, their symptoms will improve within 2 months, no matter what treatment is used-even if no treatment is given.

- Doctors usually refer to back pain as acute if it has been present for less than a month and chronic if it lasts for a longer period of time.