In nearly all countries of the world, back pain is the single largest cause of absence due to sickness from work. It is a chronic problem in a lot of people and a large proportion suffer from recurring problems. More often than not, the pain is due to minor damage that may have occurred to the muscles of ligaments of the back due to a variety of reasons such as lifting, twisting, being overweight or even standing in the wrong sort of position.

On other occasions it can be caused by more serious medical conditions such as a slipped disc, a disease like arthritis, muscle tears or scoliosis (curvature of the spine). When first suffering from back pain it is always advisable to visit a physician just to clarify the pain is not due to a treatable medical condition, and this is especially true in younger people.

Common Back Pain

Symptoms of back pain include a sharp pain in a specific area, a generalized ache in the region of the buttocks or lower back, stiffness and difficulty bending over. When the pain is due to a prolapsed disc there could be pressure on a nerve which will send pain radiating down the back of a leg to the foot. This is known as sciatica.

Back pain can occur to anyone of any age, but is more common in individuals who are overweight and those who sit in a slouching position for long periods of time. Treatment for back pain depends on the cause, but things like pain killers, losing weight and changing posture are the norm for “non-medical” back pain.

The heart is a pump that is designed to force blood through the body and as with any type of pump, it works by generating pressure. In the body, the blood is pumped through the arteries to all major organs, but if there is too much pressure it can put a strain on the heart itself or the arteries, causing all sorts of problems.

Blood pressure is dependent on two things. The first is the force with which the heart pumps the blood around the body, and the second is the narrowness of the arteries. Hypertension happens when the blood is forced with increased pressure through the arteries.

When blood pressure is measured, it is done so using two numbers, an example being 120 over eighty. The first number listed is the systolic blood pressure which is the maximum pressure exerted on the arteries when the heart beats, and the second number listed is the diastolic blood pressure, or the minimum amount of pressure on the arteries when the heart is relaxed. The example above is of a normal blood pressure reading.

Blood pressure can be considered high when the systolic blood pressure reading is constantly above 160, and/or the diastolic blood pressure reading is above 100. One of the biggest problems with high blood pressure though, is the fact that it doesn’t always cause any symptoms meaning it may go unnoticed until a later complication such as a heart attack or stroke.

Other complications arising from high blood pressure can be an aneurysm, heart failure, eye damage, kidney failure or atherosclerosis, which is the narrowing of the arteries. Some factors that could contribute to high blood pressure include hereditary reasons, obesity, kidney disease, diabetes, excessive salt intake, lack of exercise and high intake of alcohol.

High Blood Pressure

A headache involves having mild to severe pain in a specific, or many, areas of the head or back of the neck. Countless “types” of headache exist, all caused by a variety of reasons, and although they can be painful and rather annoying, they are, for the most part, not a sign of a serious disorder and in most non-chronic situations can be treated and relieved by medicines.

Although there is no single cause of a headache, several causes have so far been identified by the medical community and these can fall into two main categories – tension headaches and migraine headaches. Tension headaches are the result of contraction of the neck and head muscles and are the most common type of headache, accounting for nearly seventy percent of cases. Some causes of muscle contraction linked with tension headaches include stress, fatigue, eye strain, poor posture, hormonal changes, and alcohol or tobacco use.

Migraine headaches occur when blood vessels located in the neck and head constrict, which therefore leads to decreased blood flow in them. Symptoms of migraine include a throbbing pain usually on one particular side of the head, along with a feeling of nausea and sensitivity to sound or light. Migraines are usually chronic and affect more women than men

Headache

Although for the most part headaches are not a sign of anything sinister, as mentioned above, there are certain symptoms that need to be looked at by a doctor or physician immediately. These include a sudden onset of headache accompanied by vomiting or nausea; recurring headaches which are accompanied by memory issues, tiredness and difficulty in concentrating; neck stiffness accompanied by high fever; fits; vision irregularities, i.e. light flashes; trouble controlling, or loss of feeling in, the limbs; and difficulty in communicating while being tired and apathetic.