Low Back Pain

Chiropractic care is recognized as the leading treatment of low back pain.

Nearly everyone suffers from low back pain at some point in their life. Most low back pain follows an injury or trauma to the back.  Pain may occur when someone lifts something too heavy, overuses, or overstretches, causing a sprain, strain, or spasm in one of the muscles or ligaments in the back.  Low back pain may also reflect nerve or muscle irritation or bone lesions.

With age, bone strength and muscle elasticity and tone tend to decrease.  The discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility, which decreases their ability to cushion the vertebrae.  Low back pain often occurs between the ages of 30 and 50, due in part to the aging process, but also as a result of a sedentary life style with too little (punctuated by too much) exercise.  

  

Symptoms of low back problems may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and/or range of motion, or an inability to stand straight.  Occasionally, pain felt in one part of the body may “radiate” from a disorder or injury elsewhere in the body.  Some acute pain syndromes can become more serious if left untreated.

  

Low back pain may also be caused by degenerative conditions such as arthritis or disc disease, osteoporosis or other bone diseases, viral infections, irritation to joints and discs or congenital abnormalities in the spine. Obesity, smoking, weight gain during pregnancy, stress, poor physical condition, posture inappropriate for the activity being performed, and poor sleeping position also may contribute to low back pain.  Additionally, scar tissue created, when an injured back heals itself does not have the strength or flexibility of normal tissue. Buildup of scar tissue from repeated injuries eventually weakens the back and can lead to more serious injury.

  

Pain accompanied by fever or loss of bowel or bladder control, pain when coughing, and progressive weakness in the legs may indicate a pinched nerve or other serious condition.  People with diabetes my have severe back pain or pain radiating down the leg related to neuropathy.  People with these symptoms should contact a doctor to help prevent permanent damage.

 

Self – Help

• To ward off injury, strengthen and stretch your back and the abdominal muscles on your sides (the obliques) which provide back stability.  Train yourself to keep your core muscles engaged – a simple way to do that is to pull your navel toward your spine and the sides of your abs inward.  Doing this throughout the day, and especially when lifting or bending, strengthens and supports your back.
• Get up and move every 20 minutes unless you are driving.   
• Practice Safe Lifting
  • Bend your knees and keep your back straight.  Don’t bend at your waist.
  • Keep the object close to you.  The farther away you hold an object from your body, the more it stresses your back.
  • Never hold an item higher than your armpit or lower than your knees.
  • Don’t move something that weighs more than 20% of your body weight.
  • Don’t pivot, twist, or turn while lifting.  Point your feet at the item you are lifting and face it as you pick it up.
  • Change direction with your feet, not your waist.