CHIROPRACTIC MAY HELP LOW BACK PAIN
FIND OUT IF CHIROPRACTIC IS THE ANSWER FOR YOU
Low back pain is a very common problem – statistics show that 8 out of 10 Australians suffer from back pain at some time. It can be so painful that it may become extremely debilitating, limiting your movement and everyday life. Back pain is one of the most common reasons patients come to Coolum Family Chiropractic for help. Maintaining proper spinal function, staying active and with the help of beneficial chiropractic treatment may well be the best solution.
WHAT MAKES UP THE LOW BACK?
The lower back is the area of the spine between the bottom of the ribs and the pelvis. There are five movable lumbar vertebrae with discs in between them. They are supported by strong surrounding muscles and ligaments with spinal nerves existing between each of the vertebrae. The pelvis articulates with the spine and provides additional stability and support for the spine. All of these structures combine to make your body into a strong but flexible structure, allowing you mobility while protecting the spinal cord and nerves.
WHAT CAUSES LOW BACK PAIN?
Lower back pain is sometimes caused by abnormal spinal function or damage such as joint strains or degeneration. The symptoms often start off as a dull ache and can progress over time to a sharp, severe and constant pain. If the nerves leaving the spine are affected it can cause pain into the legs known as sciatica. The problem with the lower back is the pain often feels the same regardless of what the cause is. That is why accurate diagnosis is so important. Back pain also tends to be aggravated by lifestyle factors including lack of exercise, obesity, injuries, poor posture and ergonomically incorrect workplace environments.
One of the most typical causes of lower back pain is putting unnecessary strain on your back by activities such as heavy lifting. This can damage the spine and lead to swelling and inflammation of the facet joints. Indeed strains to the lower back and disc injuries are two of the most common causes of low back pain that we see in our clinic. There are many other causes of low back pain including bone and disc degeneration, sacroiliac joint sprain, piriformis syndrome and spinal cord stenosis that also present in our clinic.
Often severe back pain is followed by a protective muscle spasm which can make moving difficult. This is your body’s way of protecting your back from further damage. In this situation patients will often think the problem is muscular however the cause is actually from your injured joints. It is very important that other pathological causes of back pain, such as tumors, infections and fractures are ruled out before treatment is commenced.
CAN CHIROPRACTIC CARE HELP LOW BACK PAIN?
Recent research shows that spinal manipulation in combination with an effective exercise program is the best treatment for both acute and chronic back pain. Clinically we have found that patients who have had multiple episodes of acute low back pain find that over time these episodes can get more frequent, last longer and sometimes the pain will never completely be gone. remain. This is why at Coolum Family Chiropractic, we believe that it is important to have a quality treatment program that addresses the movement of the spine to restore normal muscle control and function and try to prevent further episodes of low back pain.
HOW DO CHIROPRACTORS TREAT LOW BACK PAIN?
As part of our regular chiropractic procedures we will take a complete history of your symptoms and complete a thorough examination to help us try to find the cause of your problems accurately. We will then explain clearly to you what we have found is wrong and if suitable recommend an individual treatment program designed to help remove your symptoms and get your going again. It’s important to remember that lower back ache and sciatica are just descriptions of where the pain is located not a diagnosis. Discovering the cause of the symptoms and structuring the correct treatment regime is the essence of good chiropractic care.