Lo Kit-kok was stressed. A marketing executive in a publishing company, juggling work and home duties, she had just signed off on a lengthy report and was looking forward to a quick lunch. 'But just as I reached for my handbag on the floor, I felt a shooting pain in my lower back,' Lo says. 'I couldn't move. I was hardly breathing.' After a few days in bed with strong analgesics, she was still in constant pain. 'I couldn't sleep or sit properly, and I had to go on sick leave for two months.'
Eight years and countless visits to doctors later, Lo, in her early 40s, has learned to live with chronic back pain. Symptoms wax and wane over time, and she has developed strategies to deal with them, leading a relatively pain-free life.
'Usually, sudden back pain is unrelated to any serious underlying problem and will sort itself out within a few days or weeks,' says Jeff Shurr, a chiropractor and public relations chairman of the Hong Kong Chiropractors' Association. If the pain goes on for more than three months or returns periodically, it's considered to be chronic.
Chronic back pain may be difficult to pin down. It can originate in the bone, muscle, intervertebral discs or nerves. And it can occur when you lift something heavy, make an awkward motion, or overstretch - causing the muscles to strain. This can lead to sprained ligaments or even a slipped disc.
A slipped or herniated disc bulges out of the spine, and may press on the main nerve that extends to the leg, causing sciatica - a shock-like or burning pain extending to the buttocks and down the leg.
Back pain may be worse when you're bending, sitting down or getting up from bed.
