Lower Back Pain
Our Spinecare Adelaide chiropractors find that at least half of people consulting our practices are looking for relief from lower back pain. It’s the most common cause of work-related disability and the second largest musculo-skeletal cause of lost work time. In America alone they spend at least $50 billion each year on lower back pain treatment!
Sometimes episodes of lower back pain can go away within a few days, where as others take much longer to resolve and can lead to more serious conditions. Lower back pain in its initial stages is referred to as acute lower back pain, sometimes lasting only a few days to a few weeks. Chronic lower back pain develops, when the acute phase is unresolved and the pain lasts longer than 3 months. In the acute stage it’s important to have lower back pain assessed thoroughly to determine the cause and potentially avoid a chronic situation. At the chronic stage, pain can become more consistent and continue to restrict a person’s ability to work, rest in bed or even walk around the house.
What causes lower back pain?
Lower back pain can often be the result of injury or trauma to the structures of the lower back. When someone lifts something too heavy or overstretches for example, lower back pain can result as muscles begin to spasm and inflammation builds. Lower back pain may also be caused by degenerative conditions such as arthritis or disc disease, leg length difference or congenital abnormalities in the spine leading to irritation in joints and discs. Quite often our Adelaide chiropractors find that joint restriction within the lumbar spine and particularly the pelvis (sacro-iliac joints) is responsible for our patient’s lower back pain.
When the spine becomes increasingly irritated, strained or compressed, a spinal disc may bulge or even rupture. This rupture is often referred to as a disc hernia or disc herniation and bulge referred to as a bulging disc. This bulge or herniation may put pressure on one or more of the 50 nerve roots that exit the spinal cord. These nerves transmit signals from the brain to the body and are responsible for controlling movement, sensation and even organ function. When these nerve roots become compressed or irritated, lower back pain, as well as numbness, tingling, weak muscles and radiating pain into the buttocks, hips, thighs, legs and feet can occur. This radiating pain is often felt down the back of the legs and is referred to as sciatica or a pinched nerve.
How can Spinecare Chiropractic help your lower back pain?
While many people look for medication such as pain killers and anti-inflammatories when they suffer from lower back pain, these should only be considered as temporary relief. While medication may reduce the symptomatic pain, it does not address the underlying problem.Chiropractic care has consistently been shown to be effective in relieving lower back pain in the short and long term, by addressing the deeper problems connected to the spine. Spinecare’s Adelaide chiropractors can help by firstly providing a thorough spinal examination to determine the cause of your lower back pain during Your Initial Consultation. Once the cause is determined, our Adelaide chiropractor’s will sit down and explain your findings so that you know exactly what we believe is the problem during Your Report of Findings. Our chiropractor’s will recommend a course of care and outline their expectations before beginning any treatment.
Spinecare chiropractic prides itself on providing safe, professional and painless treatment for lower back pain relief. As well as our work in the clinic, our chiropractors may also provide advice, stretches or exercises to speed up your recovery and reduce the chance of future relapses.
