Low Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in the world. About 31 million Americans experience low back pain at any given time. Low back pains one of the most common thing we treat at Proactive Health. We believe the key to fixing it is understanding it better.

WHAT CAUSES LOW BACK PAIN?

Your lumbar spine is a complex network of interconnecting bones, nerves, ligaments, and muscles that supports the your upper body and allows for everyday movement of your low back. As robust as your low back is, it’s still prone to injury.

Most injuries fall into one of two categories:

Acute injuries: (0-3 months)

By far the most common injury we see to the low back is a muscular strain or ligament sprain. Both of these injures can happen suddenly, or slowly overtime with repeated stress.

Common causes of sprains and strains are:

  • Lifting heavy objects, or twisting your spine while lifting.

  • Sudden movements that place a high level of stress on your low back (falls, motor vehicle accidents, etc..)

  • Poor posture and deconditioning

  • Sports-related injuries

  • Motor vehicle accidents

Though sprain and strains are acute injures, left alone and untreated, they can rapidly become chronic issues that don’t resolve.

Chronic Injuries: (3 months +)

Chronic low back pain is generally caused by letting acute problems go on untreated for too long. Common chronic low back issues are disc herniations, joint problems, arthritis & degeneration, irritated spinal nerves, and unresolved trauma left untreated.

Some common things that contribute to chronic low back pain are poor posture, dehydration, lack of movement, excessive weight, poor quality diet, and stress.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF LOW BACK PAIN?

Low back injuries can present in many different ways. Pain can vary from a slight annoyance, all the way to severe debilitating pain. It’s onset can be very abrupt and sudden, or a slow gradual increase over time.

Symptoms of low back pain depend heavily on the underlying cause of injury:

  • Pain may be centered in your lower back, or travel into your legs and feet.

  • Ranges from dull or achy to stinging, shooting, and burning.

  • Numbness and/or tingling may be related to sciatica and nerve issues.

  • Muscle spasms and tightness in the mid & lower back, hips, pelvis, and legs.

  • Discomfort that worsens after long periods of sitting or standing.

  • Difficulty standing up straight, walking, climbing stairs, bending & lifting, or standing up from sitting.

TREATMENTS FOR LOW BACK PAIN:

When finding the right treatment strategy for your low back pain, it’s important to address the cause of the pain, rather than the pain itself.

Traditional treatment options for low back pain include rest, activity modification, over the counter & prescription pharmaceuticals, steroid injections, back braces, and surgery. The treatment methods focus primarily on pain relief but do little to address the function of your spine or the underlying root cause of your pain.

To effectively treat and resolve low back pain, it’s imperative that you identify the root cause. By addressing the underlying problems, the likelihood of recurrent low back pain and flare ups is greatly reduced. This helps to fix chronic low back pain once and for all.

Research supports chiropractic care as a leading treatment for acute and chronic low back pain.

Some of the most common underlying causes of low back pain we see are poor core stability, poor hip mobility, poor ankle mobility, poor spinal mobility, general lack of body awareness, poor lifting technique, and poor squatting technique.

HOW PROACTIVE HEALTH CAN HELP:

LOW BACK PAIN DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND PAIN RELIEF

Proactive Health providers are experts in diagnosing the root cause of pain and dysfunction. Our doctors will guide you through a full body functional movement assessment which is designed to uncover movement issues that may be contributing or causing your pain.

Our approach is focused on long term resolution of low back pain, not just temporary relief. This helps to eliminate the need for expensive & unnecessary imaging tests, long-term pain management programs, invasive procedures, and pharmaceuticals.

We strive to provide you with the tools and resources to manage your pain, so you can get back to living your active, awesome life!

If you’re experiencing low back pain, don’t wait. Call us at (423)779-3295 or click the button below to get started.