Pains in the Back.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 75

Pains in the Back.

Of all the worries onf can have in the* shape of aches and pains, a pain in the back i« the worst; people are more alarmed at a pain in that -region than anywhere else. They fear paralysis, kidney disease, and what not. In nearly every case these fears are groundless. It is quite the exception .for a disease of the kidneys to be accompanied by pain in loins. Man is a peculiar animaj in-that he walks upright with the spine erect ; there is, therefore, a much greater strain -on the muscles -and 'ligaments whioh hold the spine in this erect position than _there is on the similar muscles of an animal which walks on all fours. The consequence is that when a person is Worm out by old- age, or by overwork accompanied by under-fecdiDg, one of the first situations to manifest fatigue is the back A woman suffering with a pain in the back muat first of oil make up her mind whether the pain is not due to simple fatigue; it it is, then nothing will do her any good but rest in the- lying position, with proper oa.r« of th-e g-en-erai sysfc&m. A . veary large number of cas-a^ of pain in>this region comes from some derang-^ment of the internal organs; this is so ' common tnat medical advice s-hcu-id ■be sought to ascertain the true oaus'- .of the backache. There are a number of different names given to diseases which are first cousins to each- other — viz.. sciatica, lumbago, rheumatoid arthritis, and Mnusoular rheumatism. The , best local remedy to apply in these cases ,19 an ordinary flatiron made as hot as the patient oan bear ; a piece of flannel is laid or the back, 'and the iron, is rubbed firmly up -and* down on the painful area ; the double effect of the heat and the rubbing is often beneficial.