First aid for back pain and breathing difficulties at work and home

Back pain is defined as an aching, stabbing, pinching, pulling, throbbing, burning sensation in the back. it can be acute (sudden and worsen severe within minutes, hours, or days)or it may be chronic (progress gradually over days, weeks, months, and even years).

• Back pain is generally treated with relaxation technique therapy first, as it typically resolves without the use of medication. Superficial heat and massage, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation therapy may be recommended.
  
• Heat therapy is useful for back spasms or other conditions. A review concluded that heat therapy can reduce symptoms of acute and sub-acute low-back pain.
• Regular activity and gentle stretching exercises are encouraged in uncomplicated back pain and are associated with better long-term outcomes. Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in the abdomen and around the spine may also be recommended. These exercises are associated with better patient satisfaction, although it has not been shown to provide functional improvement. However, one study found that exercise is effective for chronic back pain, but not for acute pain. If used, they should be performed under the supervision of a licensed health professional.
  
  Massage therapy may give short-term pain relief, but not functional improvement, for those with acute lower back pain. It may also give short-term pain relief and functional improvement for those with long-term (chronic) and sub-acute lower pack pain, but this benefit does not appear to be sustained after 6 months of treatment. There does not appear to be any serious adverse effects associated with massage.
  
• Acupuncture may provide some relief for back pain. However, further research with stronger evidence needs to be done.
  Spinal manipulation is a widely-used method of treating back pain. Immediate benefits can be significant, but long-term benefits can be variable.
  
  (Back school) is an intervention that consists of both education and physical exercises. There is no strong evidence supporting the use of Back School for treating acute, sub-acute, or chronic non-specific back pain.

• Causes of back pain 

• There are many reasons for back pain. here we will only address the emergency causes.

• ☺ A tear or bulging of the large blood vessel leaving the heart -this is the most dangerous emergency.
• ☺ The disease of the internal organs.
  
• ☺Pressure on the spinal cord in the back due to various reasons.
  
• ☺ Injury to the back.
  
• ☺ Stones in the urinary tract.
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• management of back pain: 

•  ☺ As a sudden, tearing or ripping sensation. with dizziness or feels sleepy, starts shivering/feeling cold, breathes very quickly, or loses consciousness.
• ☺ It starts suddenly and is characterized as sharp, stabbing, or burning.
  
• ☺ Associated with blood in the urine, an inability to pain/difficulty with urination, or high body temperature.
  
• ☺Loss of control of urination or motion.
  associated with constipation.
  
• ☺Association with pain going down the leg beyond the knee. it worsens when the leg is lifted.
  
• ☺ Associated with numbness, pain, or loss of feeling in the arm or legs.
  
• ☺ With a sudden, forceful trauma to the back just before the pain began.
  
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•  At work and home

• ☺ Regular physical activity physical activity
  
• ☺ Avoiding injury.
  
• ☺ Driving carefully and crossing roads carefully.
  
• ☺ wearing your seat belt in the car.
  
• ☺ Follow the proper techniques for lifting heavy objects.
  
• ☺ If your work requires you to work at a tall height, make sure that you are. Secured by the appropriate equipment.
• ☺ correcting your sitting posture.
  
• ☺ controlling your blood pressure.
  
• ☺ Avoiding smoking.
  
• ☺ Avoiding drinking alcohol.
  
• ☺ Eating a low -fat diet.
  
• ☺ Drinking plenty of boiled and cooled or filtered water.
  
• ☺ visiting the doctor for regular checkups.
  
• ☺ Visiting the doctor regularly if you are pregnant women.
  
• ☺ Avoiding an overstressing body.
  
• ☺ Do not ignore your overall health.

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• What is breathing difficulty?

• Breathing difficulty is also known as dyspnea. There are many causes of breathing problems. The common breathing difficulty such as chronic sinusitis, allergies, and asthma. These problems can cause a host of symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy or watery eyes, chest congestion, cough, wheezing, labored breathing, and shallow breathing.
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• Symptoms of breathing difficulty

• ☺ Start suddenly or worsens quickly.
• ☺ Associated with noisy breathing.
• ☺ Associated with the use of neck muscles to assist in breathing.
• ☺ associated with the victim sitting bent over with the hands-on.
• ☺ His /her legs to make it more comfortable to breathe.
• ☺ Associated with an irregular breathing pattern.
• ☺ Associated with an abdominal breathing rate.
• ☺ Association with blue discoloration of the lips as the breathing problem advances.
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• Causes  of  breathing difficulty

• ☺ Choking,
• ☺ breathing difficulty,
• ☺ Asthma,
• ☺ Allergy reactions to food,medicine,dust,insect bites,etc,
• ☺ Heart attack,
• ☺ Airways infections,
• ☺ The disease of the heart and lungs,
• ☺ Injury in the chest,
• ☺ Anxiety,
• ☺ Smoking.

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• Prevention of breathing difficulty

• ☺ If there is a known heart condition, take medicine regularly as prescribed by the doctor.
• ☺ Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to prevent any future heart and airway problems.
• ☺ Avoid exposure to things that can cause allergy or asthma.
• ☺ Avoid exposure to pollutants. As much as possible, avoid breathing allergens and environmental toxins.
• ☺ Lose weight if you are overweight, or at least don’t gain any more weight.
• ☺ Avoid smoking -Once you're tobacco-free, your risk of heart and lung disease and cancer begins to drop even if you've been smoking for years.
• ☺ Keep elevation in mind. Avoid exertion at elevations higher than 5,000-6000 feet.
• ☺ If there is a known history of asthma, always carry an inhaler and learn the proper methods to use it.
• ☺ Wash hands frequently and practices good hygiene to prevent the spread of infection.
• ☺ Understand what situations cause anxiety and try to avoid them.
• ☺ visit the doctor regularly for routine medical checkups.
• ☺ vigorous coughing is associated with coughing up of blood.
• ☺ is associated with an inability to breathe or speak -refer to the choking section.
• ☺ If you rely on supplemental oxygen, regularly check your equipment. Be sure your supply is adequate and the equipment works properly.
• ☺ if there is a known history of asthma and wheezing is present, use the inhaler.
• ☺ if the victim is choking refer to the choking section for instructions
• ☺ if the victim becomes unresponsive do CPR.
• ☺ do not give the victim anything to eat or drink while having breathing difficulty.
• ☺ do not press on the victim's chest or hit his/her back.
• ☺ If someone is having breathing difficulty call your local emergency number right away, then.
• ☺ Check the person's airway, breathing, and pulse. If there is no response e,g- no breath no pulse, begin CPR.
• ☺ Loosen any tight clothing.
• ☺ Help the person use any prescribed medicine (an asthma inhaler or home oxygen).
• ☺ Continue to monitor the person's breathing and pulse until medical help arrives. 
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• ☺ DO NOT assume that the person's condition is improving if you can no longer hear abnormal breath sounds.
• ☺ If there are open wounds in the neck or chest, they must be closed immediately, especially if air bubbles appear in the wound, and Bandage such wounds at once.

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