Back Pain Causes And Effects Health And Social Care Essay

Back Pain Causes And Effects Health And Social Care Essay Back pain is considered to be the most common reasons for physician visits; it is the largest cause of work-related absence. Back pain is known as Lumbago and can be defined as mild to severe pain or discomfort in the area of the lower back. The pain can be acute (sudden and severe) or chronic if it has lasted more than three months. Strains or sprains of the muscles and ligaments of the back are the most common cause of acute back pain. Injuries, degenerative diseases and Functional back pain due to imbalance are other reasons of back pain. First of all, according to (Chambers R., 2007, p.41) Most of the back strains and sprains occur after a sudden movement associated with bending or twisting, and lifting heavy objects. Therefore, jobs involving lifting, carrying ,pushing, pulling, lowering and holding moving objects have a high risk of getting back pain. For instance, children with their school books or postmen who carry weight on one side may develop great back pain. P.Fysh (1995), citied in his study Back Pain in School Children that in (1994) a Scandinavian study, by Trousler identified the prevalence of back pain in a group of 1,174 school children at 51 percent was due to backpacks. This study also found significance in the risk factors like age and genders those children. Furthermore, back pain that results from job nature is highly reported among workers who have to left a weighty objects. According to Kincla Davis (2009) Carpenters and other construction workers who install drywall have high rates of strains and sprains to the low back and shoulder(p.305). Moreover, muscle strain can occur in the back just like anywhere else in the body, and most likely to affect people in their forties, although it can happen at any age. Straining the back muscles is characterized by sever pain and inability to move. Since strain has several impacts on the body, it can cause the muscles to overstretch or move in such a way that they sustain terrible tears. Also it might lead the tendons and the ligaments that attached the muscles to loss its elasticity, by pulling too far on a muscle, and the area around it can become inflamed which leads to muscle pain. The second major cause of back pain is pregnancy. Usually back pain and pregnancy together. Unfortunately this type of back pain last for several weeks to few months with pregnant women. Its reasons can vary. It can be due to body changes for example, hormonal changes, or it might be due to extra weight the women may gain during the pregnancy period. The body hormones in the pregnant woman tend to relax the ligaments and the muscles that attached to pelvic, to allow fetus and uterus growing may cause many changes in the body and back pain can be a side-effect of these changes. Also A difference in hormone levels can cause muscles and ligaments to become more relaxed, especially during the last few months as the body is getting ready for labour from (Back Pain and Pregnancy, 1999., para, no). Additional to that , the effect of the extra weight and body posture adds extra strain on the pregnant women by pulling the muscles. This means if the pregnant women is holding twins it is definitely the attraction on muscles will be great. Silva A.(2004) loudly echoed that : The weight of the baby can result in a higher degree of curvature of the lower spine, meaning ligaments and muscles must adapt and sometimes can feel strained. The centre of gravity will be slowly changing also, keeping a firm base with feet shoulder width apart will help to counteract this ( p.34-5). and pregnancy period may develop what know as Pregnancy-Related low Back Pain (PLBP), this type of Back Pain often lead to other problems with Significant physical, psychological, and socioeconomic implications, according to Silva(2004, p.39). In addition to that the sleep habit disturbances often associate with such pain. Beside all these effects, fear of abortion always is a pregnant women concern; related to long courses pain killer medicine is used and prescribed or worries of havening child with congenital problems. However pregnancy back pain can be minimized and avoided, standing up straight and straight the muscle by exercise such as swimming are good example of minimizing the back pain. Although, the primary prevention is by not sitting in one position for long time, but massage therapy would be the best technique to use as it is emphasized by Silva Therapeutic massage for low back massage is thought to provide low back pain relief by improving blood flow, reducing muscle stiffness, increasing range of motion, and raising endorphin levels in the body (2004, p.51). The third major cause of back pain is related to the degenerative disk diseases in the back; as part of the natural process of growing older. In fact, it is not an actual disease thus it affect an elderly and retired people. It starts with the disk (shock absorber) that consists of the jelly and lays between the vertebras in the back bone. Over the time this disk slips out and leads the jelly inside the disk to leaks and loses its ability to absorb shocks. Pressing on the nerve and leading into sever pain that may radiate to hip and legs are the majors consequences of disk prolapsed. This problem is widely spread among young men who performer a heavy work, but it is still consider to be ageing process disease. R. Windsor (2008) stressed on this point when he stated in his article that Low Back Pain secondary to degenerative disk disease is a condition that affects young to middle-aged persons with peak incidence at approximately 40 years also he pointed that the prevalence of disk de generation increases with age. Moreover, depression, isolation and restriction in activities are effects of degenerative Disk disease. It is well documented that physical pain can lead to feelings of depression, but a new study from the University of Alberta shows the reverse can be true, as well. When Dr. Linda Carroll, a professor in a Department of Public Health Sciences, led the study that shows Depression is a risk factor for onset of severe neck and low back pain(2003, p.3). The study is published in the Journal Pain. Besides this, people who suffers from pack pain may tend to be isolated from others due to fear of further injury and frustration regarding their condition . This mental status can also indirectly damage the back. Mental stress, dissatisfaction at work, depression and distress can all play a role in back pain. These factors may re-enforce relatively minor pain signals resulting in a much more present pain sensation(Carroll L. 2003, p.5). So, there is a strong connection between stress and back pain, when the tension created by emotional stress can give you a back pain. Also Stress causes the muscles to tighten up. The muscles may tense up so much and they go into painful spasms. Then it followed by reduce blood flow to the tissues and finally the back is less capable of tolerating even mild workload. However, this type of back pain can be also avoided by controlling and reducing the amount of exposure to tensions and stressful life situations. Yoga is a very popular form of relaxation therapy that increases muscle strength as it calms and works out stress. In addition to that exercise is important to reducing stress, by doing early morning walk and implemented as a weekly routine in the person life. Lastly, there are almost as many ways to prevent back pain as there are bad behaviors that cause it. Socioeconomic is another side effect of degenerative or disk diseases. People who suffers back pain have to pay a lot of medical expanses that includes physician fees which is typically high, medication cost and physiotherapy. Eventually this treatment costs are often difficult to be afforded by them. Additional to this, back pain lead to work absenteeism, statistic shown by (Parthan A. 2005, p.14) estimated the annual loss in productivity due to back pain in the United States to be approximately $28 billion. The loss in productivity is primarily due to absenteeism from work. Despite previously discussed causes of back pain, there are still many reasons need to be reviewed like, injury where all the types injures results several back problems, started with strains and end with back bone fracture and never damages. ( Windsor, 2008) has written It is commonly acknowledged that back injury is the most serious health problem experienced by most of the worlds workforce. However, Injury results from fall, road traffic accidents, and sports injury. or even arise from direct blunt impact Objects. Any injury to the back can cause damages to surrounded soft tissue of the spine, bruised and inflamed. And also, some time damages exceed the tissue to reach the bony and nerve structure. Later on the spine becomes stiffer. These injuries may varies can be range from mild, moderate to sever. A good example of midland moderate back pain injury is strain, very treatable in its tow forms. But sever injury may lead to paralyses or even death at the injury onset. To sum up, aside from the usual side effects of back pain, like the disturbance of your sleeping habits and the difficulty in sitting still during extended periods of time, the real concern should be addressed to the causes for back pain. Unfortunately since back muscles are the hardest working muscle group in the body, back pains are a frequent occurrence which indirectly effects it being the hardest to identify condition. It is a good investment to learn all about back pain, the causes and the side effects of back pain, and how it is prevented or if the condition is occurring, how best to relieve the effect.

Criticism Against the Modern Medicalization

Today the world in which we live in has faced steady medicalization of daily existence. Critics argue whether this leads to a favorable or a non favorable outcome. The establishment and development in medicine has become a major threat to health. Dependence on efficient health care affects all social relations. In rich countries medical colonization has reached sickening proportions whereas poor countries are quickly following suit. Medicalization, that â€Å"is the process by which human conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as medical conditions and problems, and thus come under the authority of doctors and other health professionals to study, diagnose, prevent or treat. † (wikipedia. org). In the modern world people feel dependant towards medical treatment no matter how minor it is. Whether the doctor is effective or not, it is an illusion what seems to be there in peoples’ hearts that they actually are being cured. Useless medical treatments, doctor-inflicted injuries, leave the patients helpless and as they are already defenceless and still consider themselves to be dependent on doctors. Modern Health care system has grown beyond limits in an unfavorable way. This can be said to happen due to 3 reasons. It must produce clinical damages which outweigh its potential benefits; it cannot but dim the political conditions which execute the society unhealthy; and it tends to assume the power of the individual to heal himself and to shape his or her environment. When it comes to producing medicine, Industrial progress is more being put into concern rather than personal growth. Such medicine is but a device to convince those who are sick and tired of society that it is they who are ill, incompetent and in need of technical repair. Most people are already doubtful about medicine and only need evidence to affirm their uncertainty. Doctors already find it necessary to boost their credibility by demanding that many treatments now common be officially prohibited. Medical performances which are considered as necessary are often so basic that restrictions are put on to them and are not acceptable to many politicians. Medications are costly and contain a high risk, which sometimes makes them not worth to be used. The world that we live in has experienced dramatic changes in the diseases afflicting population. Facts have proved that now a day’s early deaths are caused due to different diseases rather than accidents, violence, or suicide. During the past century deaths have been mainly due to different diseases for example malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever and many more. But the death rate has been fairly decreased due to the introduction of antibiotics and widespread immunization. Improved housing and better nutrition are also one of the factors that have caused the death rate to fall and keep people away from various deadly diseases. Past century has also experienced major malnutrition syndromes, such as rickets and pellagra. But these have been soon replaced by modern epidemics such as coronary heart disease, emphysema, bronchitis and obesity, hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and the so called mental disorders. In a way, the elimination of old forms of mortality has increased life expectancy which now suffers from the new diseases. The trend experienced of the diseases afflicting the population shows that the environment is the primary determinant of the state of general health of the society. The food we eat, the houses we live in, the working conditions, neighbourhood coherence, as well as the cultural mechanisms, which make it possible to keep us stable, and play a major role in deciding how healthy we feel and at what age we tend to die. The life expectancy is no doubt increased due to more healthy way of living, but more and more diseases that are affecting people is not due to the number of doctors available, or the medical treatment. The new techniques available to recognize and treat unhealthy conditions by surgical interventions redefine but do not reduce despair. It is not surprising to see that where certain diseases have become rare, the number of doctors exceeds the need of people as compared to the places where those diseases are more to be found. Doctors tend to work in places where the climate is healthy, where the water is clean, and where people work and can pay for their services. Useless medical treatments also take place in cases where they are not necessarily needed. During the last century there have been many, but limited number of medical procedures that have indeed become effective and beneficial for the people. Those medical treatments which are designed for widespread diseases are comparatively cheaper than the ones used for unique or diseases that do not exist on a high scale. The cheap medical treatments are only in the case where they are monopolized for personal use, and they require a minimum of personal skills, materials or hotel services from hospitals. Many dangerous diseases such as malaria, paralytic poliomyelitis, whooping cough, and measles, medicines to cure these diseases have shown considerable progress. But for most other infections, medicine can show no comparable results. For many diseases medicine has a short term effect but for the long term, it tends to be unsuitable or ineffective. Heart diseases, different types of cancers are highly curable, but there are some stages of these diseases at which the diseases gets hard or impossible to be cured. Breast cancer for example is curable but in some cases it is impossible to be cured no matter how frequently medical checkups are being performed. Surgery and chemotherapy for rare congenital and rheumatic heart disease has increased the chances for an active life for some of those who suffer from these conditions. The drug treatment of high blood pressure is effective for the few in whom it is a diseased condition and can do a serious harm to those in whom it is not. But no matters how careful we are or how frequent checkups are being down, doctor inflicted injuries are also getting very common. People suffer from illness that is caused by professional medical treatments. This doctor-made disease is also known as Iatrogenesis. Medicines are widely used for the smallest of diseases. But their unwanted side effects have increased with their effectiveness and widespread use. Several people now a day’s swallow medically prescribed chemical. Some take a wrong drug, others get a contaminated or old batch, others take several drugs which are dangerous or take them in dangerous combinations, and others receive injections with improperly sterilized syringes or brittle needles. Many drugs are also addictive or mutilating, or also mutagenic. Other drugs contribute to the breeding of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Unnecessary surgeries are normally performed these days. Diseases that are not to happen, a person gets effected because of over medical treatment. The side effects of medications are more than the benefits gained from them. Malpractice, which is known as carelessness is neglected and is not given much of an importance even though it is something to be put into concern. While performing medical surgeries on which lives are dependant, sometimes malpractice even causes a loss in human life. Doctors are being transformed into technicians applying scientific rules to classes of patients. What had formally been considered an abuse of confidence and a moral fault can now be rationalized into the occasional breakdown of the equipment and operators. Malpractice is considered a technical problem not an ethical problem anymore. Undesirable side effects or mistaken or unintentional use of medication has left many patients as helpless and defenceless. Damages are done to the patients due to the doctors carelessness or exploitation and also in the case when the doctor attempts to protect himself against the patients eventual legal action of malpractice. Many people who are inflicted with specific diseases are not allowed to work leaving them helpless and are unable to live their life to the most and earn themselves a good living. Many people start living their lives in a way they think is health wise better and beneficial for them, but at a later stage it turns out to be as harmful and makes them fall into illness. Modern medicalization has faced critics and in a way they prove to be right and unethical for the society. Medical nemesis can only be reversed through mutual self care, if not than the world will be bound to suffer from this dilemma that prevails.

Why Does It Matter When Species Go Extinct

We are surrounded by endangered species every day. Majestic tigers grace posters on bedroom walls, stuffed toy pandas stare blankly from shopping mall shelves; with the click of a button, we can watch the elaborate courtship rituals of  whooping cranes  and the strategic hunting habits of the  Amur leopard  on the  Discovery Channel. No matter where we look, images and information about the worlds rarest animals are readily available,  but do we ever stop to think about the effects endangered species have on their environments, what happens after they disappear? Lets face it, few of us have crossed paths with a real, live  endangered species today—one that is teetering on a tightrope of existence, like the  Santa Barbara Song Sparrow  or the Jovan Rhino— much less consider the implications of their loss. So, does it really matter if an animal goes extinct when we can still watch it on television, even after its gone? A single species disappearance can, in fact, make a huge difference on a global scale. Like pieces of yarn in a woven tapestry, the removal of one can start unraveling the whole system. The Worldwide Web Before the internet, the worldwide web could have referred to the intricate systems of connections between living organisms and their environments. We often call it the food web, although it encompasses many more factors than just diet. The living web, like a tapestry, is held together not by tacks or glue, but by interdependence—one strand stays in place because it is entwined with many others. The same concept keeps our planet working. Plants and animals (including humans) depend on each other as well as microorganisms, land, water, and climate to keep our entire system alive and well. Remove one piece, one species, and small changes lead to big problems that arent easy to fix. In the words of the World Wildlife Fund, When you remove one element from a fragile ecosystem, it has far-reaching and long-lasting effects on biodiversity. Balance and Biodiversity Many endangered species are top predators whose numbers are dwindling due to conflicts with humans. We kill predators all over the world because we fear for our own interests, we compete with them for prey and we destroy their habitats to expand our communities and agricultural operations.   Take for example the effect human intervention had on the gray wolf  and the subsequential effects their dwindling population numbers had on its environment and biodiversity. Before a mass extermination effort in the U.S. that decimated wolf populations in the first half of the 20th century, wolves kept other animals populations from growing exponentially. They hunted elk, deer, and moose and also killed smaller animals such as coyotes, raccoons, and beavers. Without wolves to keep other animals numbers in check, prey populations grew larger. Exploding elk populations in the western United States wiped out so many willows and other riparian plants that songbirds no longer had sufficient food or cover in these areas, threatening their survival and increasing numbers of insects like mosquitos that the songbirds were meant to control. Oregon State University scientists point to the intricacy of the Yellowstone  ecosystem, reported EarthSky in 2011. The wolves prey on the elk, for example, which in turn graze on young aspen and willow trees in Yellowstone, which in their turn provide cover and food for songbirds and other species. As the elks fear of wolves has increased over the past 15 years, elk browse less—that is, eat fewer twigs, leaves, and shoots from the parks young trees—and that is why, the scientists say, trees and shrubs have begun recovering along some of Yellowstones streams. These streams are now providing improved habitat for beaver and fish, with more food for birds and bears. But its not only large beasts of prey that can impact the ecosystem in their absence, small species can have just as big of an effect.   Extinctions of Small Species Matter, Too While the losses of large, iconic species like the wolf, tiger, rhino, and polar bear may make for more stimulating news stories than the disappearance of moths or mussels, even small species can affect ecosystems in significant ways. Consider the meager freshwater mussel: There are nearly 300 species of mussel in North American river and lakes, and most of them are threatened. How does this affect the water we all depend on? Mussels play an important role in the aquatic ecosystem, explains the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Many different kinds of wildlife eat mussels, including raccoon, otters, herons and egrets. Mussels filter water for food and thus are a purification system. They are usually present in groups called beds. Beds of mussels may range in size from smaller than a square foot to many acres; these mussel beds can be a hard cobble on the lake, river, or stream bottom which supports other species of fish, aquatic insects and worms. In their absence, these dependent species settle elsewhere, lower the available food source for their predators and in turn cause those predators to leave the area. Like the gray wolf, even the small mussels disappearance acts like a domino, toppling the entire ecosystem one related species at a time. Keeping the Web Intact We may not see wolves on a regular basis, and nobody really wants a poster of a Higgins eye pearly mussel on the wall, but the presence of these creatures is interwoven with the environment we all share. Losing even a small strand in the web of life contributes to the unraveling of our planets sustainability, the fine balance of biodiversity that affects each and every one of us.

Management vs. Leadership - 1167 Words

Management vs. Leadership Management and leadership functions are definitely not one and the same, although they are unavoidably linked together hand and hand. Evidently, it is clear to note that they overlap and compliment one another. Having one without the other no doubt will cause more problems than it solves. Yet the two indefinitely have their major differences. To start, a manager manages tasks and systems, while a leader leads and inspires people. â€Å"The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate.† (Murray, 2010). Management Management as a concept was developed in the last 100 years partly due to the booming industrial revolution. â€Å"The definition of management is to†¦show more content†¦While the manager administers, the leader innovates; one maintains, while the other develops. Managers focus on systems, structure and routine, while leaders focus on people. One controls, while the other inspires trust; one accepts the status quo and does things right, while the other challenges the status quo and does the right thing. (Murray, 2010). Nevertheless, both these roles overlap and should not be separated. Like leaders, managers also have the ability to influence a group of individuals to meet their shared goals. Management combined with leadership can help achieve a planned systematic change. These instances describe a manager operating under leadership. On the opposite end, when leaders participate in planning, organizing, and staffing, they are operating within management. (Murray, 2010). Leadership combined with management can keep groups and organizations appropriately aligned with its environment. Today we are in a new economy, where the ultimate value lies in our knowledge workers; where management and leadership can no longer be separated in both analysis and practice. 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