Low Back Pain
Anyone who has ever suffered an acute episode of lower back pain is
also acutely aware of how mechanical stress (movement) affects the
lower back. For instance, some back pain sufferers will notice it hurts
more when sitting than while standing. This is because sitting actually
places 50% more weight on the lower back and more weight (pressure)
equals more pain. Other back pain suffers notice an increase in pain
from mechanical stress due to bending, stooping, lifting, or even from
coughing or sneezing.
Chiropractors help many patients with mechanical types of back pain,
which usually presents as when the bones of the spine, called
vertebrae, are out of alignment. This misalignment between vertebra
creates a mechanical stress that causes inflammation to the area that
surrounds the nerves. When the nerves of the back become irritated,
pain and dysfunction are the end result.
Lower back pain comes in many forms. Pain can range from mild stiffness
or the difficulty or inability to move, bend, sit, or walk. Back pain
can be constant or intermittent (come and go.) The pain can be dull and
aching or sharp and stabbing. There may also be numbness, tingling, a
sensation of heat, or weakness in one or both of the legs. In some
cases, leg symptoms will present with or without back pain. This is due
to a specific type of irritation to the sciatic nerve, called sciatica.
A disc bulge can cause back pain and may be accompanied by symptoms of
pain, tingling, burning, or numbness down a leg. Sometimes a disc bulge
will only cause the leg symptoms. A disc acts like a shock absorber and
a pivot point between the two vertebrae. When a disc gets overly
stressed or injured, it begins to bulge. In the lower back, a disc
bulge in the side of a disc is more likely to cause leg pain as the
predominant symptom. A disc that bulges more to the middle is more
likely to cause back symptoms, rather than leg symptoms.
Although back pain is most often caused from a mechanical stress, it
could also be caused from other problems such as genetic conditions of
the spine (conditions you are born with), nutritional disorders
(osteoporosis), malformation of the vertebra (improper bone growth),
infection, or even malignancy (cancer).
No matter how back pain presents, if it persists, you should seek
professional help to find out what is causing the pain and why it will
not get better. However, if your pain happened due to an injury, you
should seek attention as soon as possible. As with most any health
condition, treatment outcome can be greatly improved by early treatment
of the injury.
There are many types of treatments for back-related pain. For those of
us who would like to avoid taking medication, which only masks the
symptoms, there is a leading alternative choice of treatment called
chiropractic care. A Doctor of Chiropractor is highly trained in the
diagnosis of back conditions. Through careful history, examination, and
the aid of imaging such as x-rays, CT (computerized tomography), or MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging) a Doctor of Chiropractic can often
determine the cause of your back pain and begin a course of corrective
treatment.
Chiropractors commonly adjust (manipulate) misaligned vertebra (the
bones of the spine) to relieve back pain. When the alignment of the
vertebrae is improved, the stress on the soft tissue and nerves in the
surrounding area is relieved. This allows the natural healing process
in each of us to overtake the adverse effects of the misalignment.
Continued treatment, good posture, proper rest, and exercise will help
the healing process continue. Disc problems have also been successfully
treated with manipulation or by specialized chiropractic treatments
with flexion-distraction (a mild traction technique that helps to
reduce both disc bulges and small disc herniations.) Advances in the
chiropractic care of disc cases has given many back pain suffers a
desirable alternative to costly back surgery.
Your chiropractor may also utilize physiotherapy such as massage,
acupressure, moist heat, ice, or ultrasound, to help facilitate healing
and ease your discomfort. You may be advised to avoid certain
activities that could hurt your recovery. You may also be advised to do
back-strengthening exercises, to help prevent re-injury. (A little
known fact is that injured tissue heals first as a glob of fibers that
patch the injured area, but over a two-year period of time, with the
proper care, strengthening, and stretching exercises, this patch can be
organized into tissue that is almost as good as new.)
In addition to helping your body through a physical approach,
chiropractors often help their patients further by providing qualified
nutritional advice, which can promote healing and result in over-all
improved strength of the back and entire body. If you are one of the
many whom suffer from back pain, you may want to consider the benefits
of modern chiropractic treatment and take the first step towards
putting your back pain behind you.
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DISCLAIMER:
Articles posted on this site are for informational purposes only.
Articles are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment. Users of
this site should consult with their doctors before making any decisions
regarding their health care.
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