Lower Back Pain

Approximately 80% of the population at some point will have lower back pain. It is considered the most common reason people need to see a chiropractor. Sometimes you might know why you have pain like lifting something way to heave. Other times you might know what did it but can’t believe picking up a pencil off the floor could hurt you so much. There are a lot of people who just always hurt and don’t know why. Whatever it is here are a few of the most common reasons for lower back pain

What causes lower back pain

There are a number of reasons why your back might hurt. Most of the times it is due to several reasons. The medical community has a very hard time managing lower back pain. Especially chronic lower back pain. As chiropractors, this is where we excel. Here are a few reasons you could have pain.

Acute lower back pain

Acute lower back pain is defined when you normally do not have low back pain. Now, all of the sudden, you do. Sometimes this is injury and other times it could be just sleeping wrong.

  1. Acute Subluxations – Sometimes you just sleep wrong or twist wrong and all  of the sudden your low back just hurts. It happens. Theses may be very slight sprains or just having your verterbrea “out of place” Typically these respond very quickly to getting adjusted.
  2. Sprains/Strains- This is one of the most common reasons for lower back pain. This could be from lifting something wrong, bending wrong or just using certain muscles you are not use to. Injuries can occur in the muscles, ligaments, disc or surrounding fascia. Either way this causes a disruption of the normal movement pattern of the lumbar vertebra and chiropractic care can quickly alleviate this.
  3. Disc herniations – This is a specific type of injury that effects the padding between each of the vertebra.  Usually this is from bending and/or twisting at the waist. This may lead to sciatic pain and pain into your buttocks.
  4. Compression Fractures – This is where the vertebrate literally collapses due to falling or auto injury and sometimes may be due to osteoarthritis. Typically this pain is right above the small of your back.
  5. Non Spinal Pathologies – There are a number of non spinal pathologies that may cause lower back pain because most organs refer pain. Some examples may be kidney problems, bladder or bowel issues, gull bladder or even indigestion. Other severe origins of lower back pain could include cancer or infection.

Chronic lower back pain

Chronic lower back pain is usually described as pain lasting longer than 1 month. This can be very frustrating and typically there is no specic reason you always hurt. The medical model of care usually is to tell you it’s arthritis and take this pain medication. Chiropractic address the underlying pathology of movement and restoring normal joint function alleviating pain without drugs or surgery. Here are some examples of why you may have chronic lower back pain.

  1. Posture problems –  most people think posture is only about your neck and shoulders. However, there is a posture syndrome that results in overactive and tight lower back muscles and very poor pelvic control.
  2. Degenerative disc disease – This is essentially arthritis. You spine now moves like a rusty hinge. This can cause tight muscles and result in an overall ache and stiff across the lower back.
  3. Facet Syndrome – Most people have heard about the disc in the spine but there is another joint in the back of the spine that is a bony joint more like your knuckles. These can get arthritis too or can even fracture and slide forward. There is usually a component of poor posture with this syndrome.
  4. Stenosis – If the arthritis has progressed too much if can hit the sciatic nerve and cause pain down the leg. This condition causes pain through narrowing of the spinal canal where the nerve roots are located. The narrowing can be central, forminal, or both, and can be at a single level or multiple levels in the lower back. 
  5. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction- The sacroiliac joint connects the sacrum at the bottom of the spine to each side of the pelvis. It is a strong, low-motion joint that primarily absorbs shock and tension between the upper body and the lower body. The sacroiliac joint can become painful if it becomes inflamed or if there is too much or too little motion of the joint.
  6. Deformity. Curvature of the spine can include scoliosis or kyphosis. The deformity may be associated with lower back pain if it leads to the breakdown of the discs, facet joints, sacroiliac joints or stenosis.There could also be unlevel hips that cause the chronic irritation and low back curves. 

How Can You Fix Lower Back Pain

First you must get an accurate diagnosis of your lower back pain. There are many things you can do at home for lower back pain but if there is something deeper going on that waiting for care may be harmful to your health. Chiropractors are one of the best sources to seek initial care for low back pain. They have had years of training and experience to rule out any serious pathologies and have the knowledge on how to direct your care. Any good chiropractor will also include some kind of home care. Our philosophy has always to empower our patients to manage their own musculoskeletal complaints. Here are a few things you can do to help manage your complaints:

  1. Seek help -By seeking the help of a professional with the knowledge and experiance to diagnosis and explain the source of your pain and than direct you on how to manage your pain
  2. Learn stretch and release techniques – The easiest and quickest way to start managing your own pain is learning which muscles to stretch and more importantly how. Couple this with self myofacial release and you can really make a difference.
  3. Strengthen the core – Studies show this is an effective way prevent and treat lower back pain. It is also important that you learn the correct exercises for the core and not just sit ups
  4. Lose weight – This helps everything. Decreasing the force on the spine while decrease the amount of pain as well. Not to mention help mobility and movement.
  5. Get active – Movement is life and by being less sedentary, lower back pain sometimes helps keep your spine healthy. Sitting is the new cancer and wrecks havoc on the lower back. Get up, get moving and get back to life.
  6. Check your ergonomics – If your sitting all day or having to twist all day at work, you’ve got problems and you need to change your environment.
  7. Sleep Habits – Try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs or on your back with the pillow under your knees. Stomach sleeping is usually not advised.
  8. Sit with Support – When you sit, the small of your back reverses its curve and shoves all the pressure on your disc. Take a small pillow or roll up a towel and put it in the small of the back. even with a chair with lumbar support.
  9. Learn to hip hinge – We all have been taught to lift with your legs. We should have been taught to lift with our hips. Hip hinging means to bend at the hips and keeping your back straight while bending your knees enough to pick up your item. Study dead lifting. There is a reason why these athletes can lift up to 4 times their body weight safely.
  10. Lift smart – With heavy weights, learn to hip hinge or ask for help. Picking small items up off the floor is just as dangerous. Never twist and bend at the low back. I see several herniated disc from something so simple as picking up a pencil.