Low back pain is a common problem in the USA and affects a large part of the population. Around 80% of Americans experience low back pain at least once by the age of 45. This shows how widespread and serious it is. Low back pain is common in adults, manual workers and people who lead sedentary lives.
LBP can have a dramatic impact on quality of life. It affects everything from mental health to physical function. It can be difficult for many to carry out daily tasks, participate in social activities or sleep well. Early intervention and management is essential to prevent long-term disabilities and improve overall wellbeing.
How to address common low back issues
Muscle Strains and Ligament Sprain
- Symptoms: Localized, sharp pain that is often aggravated by swelling and tight muscles. Pain usually occurs shortly after an injury.
- Causes: Excessive stretching or tearing of ligaments or muscles due to lifting heavy items, sudden movements or poor posture.
- Preventing strains through stretching, strengthening exercises and maintaining correct posture when performing physical activities. Early-stage treatment for an injury includes resting, using ice, compressing, and elevating. Although anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed often, the inflammation process is essential to healing. Natural compounds such as turmeric or curcumin can help by promoting blood circulation and reducing stasis. Be aware of any interactions with other drugs or conditions. These may not address sub-acute and chronic soft tissue healing. Chiropractic care can help realign your spine, reduce back pain, improve movement and promote healing.
Herniated Disc
- Symptoms include pain radiating down the legs (sciatica), or numbness, weakness, and tingling in the lower extremities. A disc problem can cause sudden pain when lifting or twisting.
- Herniated discs occur when the inner core pushes through the outer layer of a disc in the spine, irritating nerves nearby. Some causes include repetitive strain or sudden injury.
- Herniated discs can be prevented by strengthening core muscles, maintaining a good posture and lifting correctly. Chiropractic care using muscle relaxation, stretching, and posture correction may realign the spine, relieve pressure on nerves and facilitate recovery. Over a 1-year and 2-year period, patients who initially received Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative therapy for lumbar disk herniation or lumbosacral nerve pain showed fewer chances of needing a surgical discectomy.
Facet Joint Dysfunction
- Symptoms include stiffness, pain and discomfort, especially when bending or twisted. Pain is usually localized, and it gets worse with prolonged standing or sitting.
- Causes: Repetitive motion, arthritis or spinal degeneration can cause the facet joints to become inflamed and misaligned.
- Prevention and Management: Maintaining a healthy body weight and staying active can help reduce joint stress. Chiropractic adjustments can improve joint alignment, mobility and pain relief.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
- Symptoms: Lower back pain, buttocks or thighs. Often mistaken as sciatica. The pain may get worse when you stand, walk, or climb stairs.
- Causes: Trauma, arthritis or changes during pregnancy can cause the sacroiliac joints to become misaligned.
- Prevention and management: Maintaining good posture and core stability, as well as avoiding activities that put strain on the sacroiliac joints, may be helpful. Chiropractic care is focused on realigning your pelvis and lower back, which reduces pain and inflammation at the SI joint.
Degenerative disc disease
- Symptoms: Lower back pain persists and may get worse with sitting or bending. It can also be accompanied by tingling or numbness in the legs, or even weakness.
- Causes: As discs age, they lose their elasticity and hydration, leading to degenerative disk disease. This makes them less effective in cushioning vertebrae.
- Prevention and management: Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight can help slow down disc degeneration. Chiropractic care can improve spinal function, relieve pain and reduce inflammation through therapeutic exercises and targeted adjustments.
Chiropractic Care Can Help
Chiropractic care is a holistic, non-invasive approach to treating low back pain. Chiropractic care focuses on spinal alignment and musculoskeletal wellness, addressing the underlying causes rather than masking symptoms. Spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and home stretching techniques may:
- Reduce inflammation: By realigning the spine, adjustments reduce nerve irritation and inflammation.
- Increased Mobility: Chiropractic care improves mobility in the spine and surrounding joint.
- Proper spinal alignment promotes healing by assisting the body in its natural healing process.
- Preventing Recurrence. Regular chiropractic care can help to prevent future problems by improving spinal health and posture.
Serious Low Back Problems
Some conditions require immediate medical care. Serious symptoms can include:
- The loss of bladder or bowel function
- The saddle (groin) area may feel numb or weak.
- Pain that is severe and sudden after trauma (e.g., a fall or a car accident).
- Unexplained weight gain, fever or night sweats in combination with back pain should be evaluated immediately, as they may indicate a spinal fracture, infection or tumor.
Low back pain affects millions of Americans. However, it does not have to impact your quality-of-life. Individuals can effectively manage pain and prevent chronic issues by addressing low back problems early on with lifestyle changes and chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive, safe way to improve spinal health. It can help patients relieve back pain and prevent further episodes.
Consider a chiropractor if you are suffering from low back pain.
Call us to schedule an appointment today and begin your journey towards better spinal health.
