Lower Back Pain
What is Lower Back Pain?
Low back pain affects nearly 60 percent of the population at some point. Our low back supports our upper body weight and provides mobility for bending and twisting motions. Since we rely on the low back muscle to make every move, it is susceptible to injuries. Alarmingly, chronic lower back pain can lead to total disability. Today, lower back pain is one of the highest causes of disability in the elderly. As such, the importance of seeking medical attention doesn’t require overstating.
The primary goal of back pain treatment is to relieve the pain and restore mobility. Unlike pain medications or surgeries, chiropractic care for lower back pain is a safer, more effective, and cost-friendly alternative. General practitioners have inadequate training in this area and lack the necessary skills to diagnose and treat lower back pain. T98 chiropractors specialize in the field and mainly focus on identifying, treating, and managing lower back pain.
Your low back design offers your upper body support, strength, and flexibility. It isn’t a wonder why it is so delicate to injuries and pain from daily activities. Low back pain ranges from mild to severe. It can source from various causes, including ligaments, joints, muscles, or vertebral disc damages. Our body counteracts any injury by rallying an inflammatory healing response. Although inflammation sounds negligible, it causes acute pain.
How Can T98 Chiropractor Help Those with Low Back Pain?
Chiropractic care is an excellent way to relieve and manage low back pain. T98 chiropractors provide a non-invasive and non-addictive treatment for the patient. Unlike using prescription pain medications, T98 chiropractors address the pain root cause. Unfortunately, pain medications only mask the symptoms. By addressing the root of the problem, the patient is likely to recover much faster.
T98 chiropractors offer a gentle, non-invasive treatment identified as a chiropractic adjustment. The adjustment helps minimize joint misalignment in your spine. The process will also help minimize inflammation and boost the function of the nervous system and affected joints. The chiropractor will help increase your joint mobility and strengthen your nervous system, giving your body a better chance to manage the low back pain symptoms.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can come from soft tissue injuries or mechanical problems. Common causes include damage to discs between the spine bones, improper movement of spinal joints, and pressure on nerve roots. Muscle strains and ligament tears are also major causes. Here’s a list of some common reasons for lower back pain, including both mild and severe cases.
Muscle and Ligament Strains
Back pain can start suddenly or get worse over time due to muscle wear and tear. Strains happen when muscles stretch too far and tear. Sprains occur when ligaments, which hold bones together, are damaged. Although these injuries can be painful, they are usually manageable and don’t last long. Common causes include:
- Lifting heavy objects
- Sports injuries involving twisting
- Sudden movements or falls
- Poor posture over time
Chronic Lower Back Pain
When lower back pain lasts for more than three months, it’s considered chronic. This type of pain often involves irritated nerves and joint problems. Some causes of chronic pain include:
- Lumbar Herniated Disk: A disc in the lower back has a jelly-like center. If the disc breaks, the jelly can irritate or compress nerves, causing pain.
- Degenerative Disc Disease: As we age, discs lose water and become weaker. This can cause tears and lead to pain or herniation.
- Facet Joint Dysfunction: These are joints in the lower back that can become painful if their cartilage wears out.
- Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: This joint connects the spine to the pelvis and can hurt if it moves too much or too little, or if it becomes inflamed.
- Spinal Stenosis: This condition narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on nerves and causing pain.
- Spondylolisthesis: This happens when a vertebra slips over the one below it, often due to joint instability or fractures.
- Osteoarthritis: This condition causes the joints to wear out over time, leading to pain and inflammation, especially as we age.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Lower Back Pain: What You Need to Know
Lower back pain can start suddenly from an injury or become a long-lasting problem. At T98 Chiropractic and Rehab Center, we can help treat the pain early. The sooner you get help, the quicker you can feel better. Our chiropractors will find out what’s causing your pain and recommend the right treatment. Lower back pain can be classified into three types: chronic, acute, and neuropathic.
Common Symptoms of Lower Back Pain
Telling your chiropractor about your symptoms helps them give you the best care. Lower back pain can include:
- Dull, Aching Pain: This type of pain feels deep and steady in your lower back. It’s not sharp or burning but may come with muscle spasms and aches in your pelvis or hips.
- Pain that Travels Down Your Legs: Sometimes, lower back pain can cause a sharp, tingling, or numb feeling that moves down to your buttocks, thighs, and legs. This is called sciatica and happens when the sciatic nerve gets irritated.
- Pain that Gets Worse After Sitting: Sitting for a long time can put pressure on your back and make the pain worse. Moving around, stretching, or walking might help, but the pain can return when you sit again.
- Pain that Changes with Your Position: The way you feel pain can change depending on how you’re sitting or standing. For example, if you have spinal stenosis, you might feel pain while walking but less pain if you lean forward. Letting your chiropractor know how your pain changes with different positions helps them figure out the cause.
- Severe Morning Pain that Gets Better with Movement: If you wake up with intense lower back pain that gets better after moving around, you might have tight or stressed back muscles. This pain could be from poor blood flow or a mattress and pillow that don’t support your back well.
Symptoms That Require Immediate Attention
From time to time, low back pain may indicate a severe underlying medical condition. If you experience any of the below symptoms, seek medical care immediately.
- Fever and chills
- Loss of bowel control
- Drastic weight loss not due to change of diet or exercise
- Severe, relentless abdominal pain
It is also to seek medical attention when you experience any of the mentioned symptoms following a trauma such as a fall or auto accident. It would be best if you also visited T98 chiropractic and rehab center when you feel that the lower back pain is interfering with mobility, sleep, and other daily activities. In most cases, chronic low back pain comes with other symptoms. Individuals suffering from lower back pain may also report leg pain, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and depression.
What Happens During Chiropractic Treatment for Back Pain?
To treat back pain effectively, it’s important to first figure out what’s causing it. Here’s how a chiropractor goes about it:
Getting Information
- Current Pain: How far does the pain spread? Is it constant or does it get worse with certain activities? Does it feel better or worse when you wake up? Are there other symptoms like numbness or weakness? What does the pain feel like—dull, sharp, stinging, or tight?
- Activity Level: The chiropractor will ask about your exercise habits and job activities. People who are active usually have better back health compared to those who sit a lot or stand for long periods.
- Sleep Habits: They’ll also want to know how much you sleep, how you sleep, and how comfortable your mattress is.
- Previous Injuries: If you’ve had recent accidents or past injuries, they might be affecting your back. The chiropractor will ask about these to see if they might be causing your current pain.
Physical Exam
The goal of the physical exam is to find out what’s causing the back pain. At T98, we perform a detailed physical exam, which might include:
- Palpation: The chiropractor will gently press on your lower back to check for tenderness, muscle spasms, or joint problems. They’re looking for tightness or inflammation that could be causing pain.
- Neurologic Exam: This involves moving your knee, hip, and toes in different ways and checking how you respond to touch or a pinprick on your toes, lower trunk, and buttocks.
- Range of Motion Test: You might be asked to bend or twist in various ways. This helps the chiropractor see if certain movements make the pain better or worse.
- Reflex Test: They’ll test your leg reflexes to check if the nerves are working properly. Weak reflexes can indicate nerve issues.
- Leg Raise Test: You’ll lie on your back and raise your leg. If this causes back pain, it could be a sign of a herniated disc.
Diagnostic Imaging Tests
Most of the time, the chiropractor can determine the cause of your back pain from your history and physical exam. But sometimes, extra tests like X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs are needed to get a clearer picture.
This process helps the chiropractor understand what’s causing your back pain and how best to treat it.
Symptoms That Require Immediate Attention
Chiropractic treatment for back pain usually involves one or more manual adjustments. The chiropractor will manipulate the lower back joints using a controlled, sudden force to restore the right spine alignment. Spinal manipulation eases the pressure on the muscles and restores the bones to their original position. T98 chiropractors also incorporate nutritional counseling, rehabilitation, and exercise programs in the treatment. Our main chiropractic care goal is to restore the typical lower back function in no time and prevent the injury from worsening.
Research has shown that spinal manipulation to ease lower back pain is safe and effective for tackling the injuries that cause discomfort. Although the acute back pain gets better on its own, our chiropractors will help alleviate it and prevent further damage. Our experienced chiropractors also address chronic pain, which may interfere with your daily activities.
Why T98 Rehab Chiropractic and Wellness for Your Lower Back Pain?