Lower Back

Low Back Pain

The lower back bears most of the body’s weight and can be easily injured when you lift, reach, or twist. Pain in the lower back may come from the spine, back muscles, nerves, or other structures in the surrounding region. It may also radiate from problems in different regions, like the mid and upper back, a hernia in the groin, or issues in the ovaries/testicles. It may not be one action that causes pain in the back. Doing many things improperly over time, like sitting, standing, and lifting, may lead your back to be injured when you do something simple like bending down to pick up a dropped pencil.

Statistics:  You are not alone.

• One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.
• Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work.  In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections.
• Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.
• Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.
• Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.
• Statistics from acatoday.org
  

Symptoms:

- A variety of symptoms may be felt

- Tingling or burning sensation

- Dull aching or sharp pain

- Weakness in legs or feet

- Tension or knots in muscles

- Pain may come on gradually or abruptly

OA is the most common joint disorder. The cartilage (or cushioning) between bone joints wears away in this condition, leading to pain and stiffness. As the condition progresses, the cartilage dissipates and bone grinds on bone. Bony spurs usually form around the joint. OA most commonly affects the hands, feet, spine, and the weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees. The two types of OA are primary and secondary. Primary occurs with no incidence of injury or obvious cause. Secondary is due to another condition. Secondary OA is most commonly caused by metabolic conditions (i.e., acromegaly), problems in anatomy (i.e., being “bow-legged”), injury, and inflammatory disorders (i.e., septic arthritis).

Symptoms:

- Grating of the joint with motion

- Joint pain in rainy weather

- Joint swelling

- Limited movement

- Morning stiffness

Treatment:

There are many causes for back pain and a variety of symptoms.  Our staff will thoroughly examine you and go through your medical history as often times there are unexamined circumstances in your past that may explain the symptoms you are experiencing today.  Once a likely cause is determined your therapist will come up with a treatment plan and a rehabilitation plan, meaning get you out of pain and comfortable and then help you stay that way.  Some of the therapy techniques might include manual therapy and joint manipulations (relax the muscles and aligning the joints in a healthy manner), intramuscular manual therapy, ultrasound or heat and electric stimulation.  For more information on these treatment techniques go to the treatment section of our website or click here.