All You Need To Know About Lower Back Pain

All You Need To Know About Lower Back Pain

The lower back has five vertebrae and supports most of the upper body weight. Lower back pain is a common condition affecting adults between 30-50 years of age. Lower back pain can either be chronic or acute. If you are suffering from lower back pain, you need to seek medical attention before the condition gets out of hand. Here are some fast facts about lower back pain.

What Are The Causes of Lower Back Pain

In many cases, lower back pain is attributed to spondylosis. This refers to the natural degeneration of your spine due to wear and tear in the discs, joints, and bones as you get older. Examples of mechanical causes of lower pain include strains, sprains, ruptured discs, sciatica, traumatic injury, and spinal stenosis.

In other cases, lower back pain can be caused by underlying conditions. In such cases, immediate medical treatment is required. Some of the underlying conditions that could result in lower back pain include kidney stones, tumors, infections, and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

A combination of the following symptoms will usually accompany lower back pain:

Dull aching pain: Pain that lingers within your low back is categorized as dull and aching. This pain may be followed by mild or severe muscle spasms, aches in the pelvis and hips, and limited mobility. Dull and aching pain is different from stinging, burning, or sharp pain.

Pain that extends to the buttocks, feet, and legs: Low back pain may include a sharp, stinging sensation that extends to the thighs and down to the legs and feet. This form of pain is known as sciatica. Sciatica pain is a result of an irritation of the sciatic nerve and usually affects one side of your body.

Pain that grows worse with prolonged sitting: Sitting for a long time exerts pressure on the back’s discs causing back pain to become worse. Walking and stretching may relieve this form of back pain quickly. However, if you return to a sitting position, the symptoms may return.

Pain that gets better when you change positions:  Some lying, sitting, or standing positions may be more comfortable than others depending on the cause of your low back pain. For example, people suffering from spinal stenosis find it difficult to walk normally, but leaning onto something tends to reduce their pain. Chiropractors can tell the source of the problem by identifying the positions that provide pain relief.

What Are The Chiropractic Treatments For Back Pain

Some of the Chiropractic Solutions for lower back pain include:

• Spinal and manual manipulation: This form of manual manipulation involves a high-velocity arm thrust applied to your abnormal vertebra to improve functionality and reduce nerve irritability. These arm thrust movements restore range of motion. This form of treatment is also called a chiropractic adjustment.
• Mobilization: This is a low-velocity arm manipulation, stretching, and movement of the joints and muscles. The goal of this treatment is to increase the range of motion. Mobilization is often used for mild forms of lower back pain.

Summing It Up

If you are suffering from lower back pain, you need to consult a chiropractor for immediate treatment. While sometimes lower back pain may not be an indication of a severe condition, in some cases, it is caused by serious underlying causes. To be on the safe side, you need to report to your chiropractor the moment you experience constant lower back pain spanning for more than a few days.