Back pain has become an increasing health concern of most people today. The causes could range from an accident, everyday activity done incorrectly, to a health condition, which is why it’s important that you actively work towards preventing back pain. But did you know that even kids and teens get back pain too? Learn more and avoid serious health conditions for your kids and teens in the future!
Types Of Back Pain In Kids And Teens
Younger Children
Younger kids don’t participate in intense activities like older ones, as a result their spine isn’t put on as much stress. Also, kids this age usually don’t repeat things that hurt them which allows for recovery in case they did something that has caused them pain. So they tend to not have medically significant pain and their discomfort tends to be short lived too.
Although, if a young kid is experiencing intense pain despite the lack of obvious cause like an accidental fall or things like that, you need to consider an underlying condition might be causing it. Spinal tumor, growth, or an infection of the spine are possible causes which will require you to observe and even seek medical examination to be certain and get accurate diagnosis in order to be treated accordingly.
Older Children
Now for older children or teens, who are usually on sports or engage in aggressive activities a lot, their pain could be greater too. Aside from that, their back pain may not just be from fatigue and impact, it could be due to injury to bones, nerves and soft tissues as well. Since teens are a lot more experimental and fearless, they tend to really push their limits and risk injuries.
At this point, compression fractures are more commonplace, and we begin to see occasional disc injuries. Older pediatric patients also can injure the joints between vertebral bones, causing painful stress injuries. Only very rarely do the nerve roots become compromised in older children.
Unlike younger kids who avoid the same activities that caused them pain, teens may try to relax and recover but will still go back to the same activities. This then leads to re-injury which actually worsen because of overuse like the ones adults tend to have.
Possible Causes Of Back Pain For Kids And Teens
Spondylosis
This condition happens when discs and joints degenerate, when bone spurs grow on the vertebrae, or both. This type of arthritis is basically spurred by wear and tear to the spine which then impairs the spine’s movement and affects the nerves and other functions.
Disc Injuries and vertebral fractures. Teens who tend to punish their spines through gymnastics or extreme sports (such as skateboarding, in-line skating, and vert biking) will frequently land very hard on their feet or buttocks. Either way, the force is transmitted to their vertebrae, which can result in a vertebral fracture and/or damage to the intervertebral discs.
If the disc material is extruded out or herniated, the spinal cord nerve roots leaving the cord can be compressed. This causes the sensation of pain along the path of that nerve. A well-known version of this is sciatica, which presents as buttock pain radiating down the back of a leg. Nonsurgical measures are usually the first line of treatment for this type of pain (such as physical therapy, medications, osteopathic or chiropractic adjustment). If these treatments do not provide sufficient pain relief, patients may require surgery (e.g. a microdiscectomy or discectomy) to relieve pressure on the nerve.
Spinal Infections
Bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are the two most common sources of spinal infections. Spinal infections happen when a bacteria or a fungal infection in another part of the body has been carried to the spine through the bloodstream.
Spinal Tumors
The membranes that cover the spinal cord or the space between the spinal cord and vertebrae sometimes form abnormal growths. These cells grow and multiply uncontrollably, seemingly unchecked by the mechanisms that control normal cells. Spinal tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Scoliosis
The most common type of scoliosis is called idiopathic scoliosis which is one that is often diagnosed in children and teenagers. Usually, when individuals in this age bracket are diagnosed with scoliosis, people assume that a heavy backpack or slouching all the time is the culprit. The thing is, that’s not actually true because this type of scoliosis has no known cause or prevention method. It sucks but this condition does get passed on within the family. If your mom or dad has it, there’s a huge chance you may develop it too. But even if they don’t, as long as someone in your family tree has it, the possibility of you developing it is there. What may surprise you even more about this condition is that how the symptoms appear can vary from patient to patient, regardless of the location and extent of the curvature. There are instances where those with severe spinal curves experience very few symptoms. While others with relatively mild cases will complain of back pain, numbness and tingling in the legs.
Tips That May Help Avoid It
Neck/Back Popping Is A Big No-No!
This is crucial! Kids copy what they see, but in case they happen to watch neck/back popping on TV or somewhere else, don’t let them try it at home. If you see them doing it, tell them off right away and explain that neck/back popping is only done by professionals. It can get them into trouble as they get older since they don’t know how to properly do it.
Don’t Sit With Legs Off To The Side And Hip Diagonal
We usually see girls sitting this way when they’re seated on the floor. This is kind of like a girl version of Indian sit. The thing is when done regularly, this position trains the hip bones to be in that position. As a result, it could lead to misalignment since the hip bones are being forced to be in an unnatural posture.
Resist Sleeping On Stomach
Some find it comfortable, but sleeping this way is actually twisting the neck! And this is really dangerous as the neck is not meant to be turned like that, not even for 10 minutes. If you don’t want your kid to deal with neck problems or other spine problems in the future, train him to sleep on his back.
Putt Off Rigorous Sports While They’re Still Little
Okay, for the record, sports are good. However, letting kids play football or hockey at such a young age may not be a good thing too. Remember that when kids are still little, their spine and everything else are not as strong and letting them get tackled and bashed around while playing rough sports can be too much for their still fragile bodies.
Looking Down At A Screen For Extended Periods Of Time Is Not A Good Idea
Texting, playing games on gadgets, or surfing the net, while looking down for hours, often lead to “Text Neck”. Every inch of Forward Head Posture is putting extra strain on the neck, and any kind of pressure on the neck is and will never be good in the long run.
Avoid Lying Down With Head Propped Up On Side Of Couch
This is another, seemingly, comfortable position. People who lie down this way look relaxed, but, again, your neck is being bent in a way that it’s not designed to be. So doing this all the time is putting pressure on the neck.
No Carrying Too Heavy Backpack Or Using Only One Shoulder To Carry It
Both of these are usually the cause of back pain or, even worst, scoliosis cases in children. This is because carrying the bag in one shoulder will require for the spine to compensate so that the carrying shoulder won’t drop. While a very heavy backpack, though carried by both shoulders, is making a kid lean forward since the weight is pulling him back. These positions result in unnatural compression/contortion of the spine.