More and more people every year experience some form of lower back pain, varying from a minor ache to severe debilitating sharp “flat on your back” pain! There can be many causes contributing to your lower back pain such as injury, accidents, overuse, bad posture, or even underlying conditions ranging from common musculoskeletal disorders to cancer. Having your lower back pain thoroughly examined and properly diagnosed by a qualified physician such as a chiropractor, who is an expert in the field, is essential. Don’t ignore or “blow off” the warning signs and symptoms your body is experiencing. Taking drugs, be it prescriptions or over-the-counter, only mask the underlying condition and have NO effect on long-term positive treatment outcomes. Quite frankly, painkillers could actually make your condition worse by blocking the signals that the brain would be normally receiving from receptors in the nerves. If your brains pain reception is blocked artificially, you may do things that could aggravate or worsen your condition further and promote the possibility of future chronic exacerbative episodes.
Here are 5 of the most common reasons or conditions that can be causing your lower back pain:
- Muscle Strain
- Sciatica
- Herniated Disc
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Spinal Stenosis
Because there are many possible causes of low back pain based on specific factors, it is of utmost importance that a qualified physician, such as a chiropractor, take a detailed past and present history, perform a thorough examination and radiographic evaluation (if indicated and warranted) to properly diagnose and treat effectively. Let us start by explaining each condition above and how it can be the cause of your lower back pain.
MUSCLE STRAIN:
This is the simplest condition to diagnose and treat of any underlying issue that is causing low back pain. A muscle strain, or “pulled muscle”, occurs when a muscle bundle or soft tissue fiber bundles are overstretched, torn, or over-worked, such as in the case of a forced muscular contraction beyond its limits or contracted too strongly. This is usually the result of injury, accident, overuse, fatigue, postural imbalances or improper use of a muscle. Muscle strains can happen with any muscle in the body but are most common in the lower back, neck, shoulder, hamstring or thigh. Low back pain caused by a muscle strain can produce symptoms such as stiffness, cramping pain, swelling, tenderness, spasms and decreased range of motion. Lower back pain can be caused by a muscular strain, but, many times a “simple muscle strain” can be misdiagnosed for other more serious musculoskeletal conditions.
SCIATICA:
This is a condition whereby lower back pain can produce radiating pain into the buttock or done the leg. This radiating pain can be of spinal origin, such as the case with facet syndrome, vertebral misalignment (subluxation), or some other irritation to the nerves that exit the spinal canal. Lower back pain associated with sciatica can produce burning pain, numbness, or a tingling sensation (pins and needles) along the course of the nerve which travels from the lower back, through the buttocks, down the back of the leg into the feet and toes. Lower back pain from sciatica usually occurs unilaterally (on one side), but can occur bilaterally (both sides).
HERNIATED DISC:
This is a condition that can produce lower back pain when the rubbery-cartilaginous spacers, referred to as intervertebral discs, become irritated, damaged, or breakdown with tears, allowing the inner thick viscous gel to escape and protrude outward from between two adjacent vertebrae. Not only does this cause lower back pain from inflammation, but, the outward herniated disc portion can put pressure on the exiting spinal nerve causing radiating pain. Lower back pain from a herniated disc can often produce severe sharp pain, numbness and muscle spasms. If the disc herniation is large enough, it can put direct mechanical pressure on the nerve causing radiating pain or sciatica, this is sometimes referred to as a “pinched nerve”.
DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE:
This is an osteoarthritic condition affecting the spinal intervertebral discs that produces lower back pain. This is not a disease at all but a long term progressive breakdown and deterioration condition of the non-osseous, semi soft intervertebral discs. Lower back pain from degenerative disc disease is often an age-related condition that occurs over time as damaged discs lose their integrity and flexibility. As the intervertebral discs begin to show more wear and tear, they can produce low back pain, weakness, numbness or radiating pain down the leg. Lower back pain from degenerative disc disease can produce severe pain at times or very little pain, but is chronic in nature with episodic acute flare-ups.
SPINAL STENOSIS:
This diagnosis typically represents a more long standing condition and is classified as a narrowing of the spaces within your spine and spinal canal, producing lower back pain. Spinal stenosis can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine and produce referred pain to other areas besides the spine, depending on the areas supplied by the affected nerves. Spinal stenosis can produce lower back pain, decrease your mobility and comfort, produce numbness or tingling, and in severe cases, affect normal bladder or bowel functions. Lower back pain from spinal stenosis typically occurs in people over 50 years of age, but, can be seen in younger people with spinal injury or repetitive trauma and stress to that vertebral area.
Chiropractors are leading experts in the field and treatment of the spine and its associated disorders. There are many non-invasive treatment options that a chiropractor can offer that can help reduce the pain and symptoms associated with the above conditions that may be producing your lower back pain. Painkillers and drugs only mask the underlying issue, give short-term benefits, and can actually worsen the condition over time by disrupting normal brain-body function and allowing movements or tasks to occur that normally would not happen. Surgery should always be a last resort and never a first option unless warranted by loss of normal bodily function as in bowel or bladder control. Lower back pain from muscle strain, sciatica, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis has met its match with chiropractic care. Many advancements in chiropractic technique and treatment have occurred over the past few years and been proven effective and efficient in the treatment of lower back pain. Give us a call to see how safe, gentle chiropractic care can help relieve your lower back pain today!
