Low Back Pain

Low back pain is second in commonality only to the common cold. It affects more than 80% of people. Although most people are aware that the common cold is due to a viral infection, back pain is often puzzling to its sufferers. Your Fort Worth Chiropractor is an expert at solving the problem.

Anatomy

To understand back pain, it is helpful to understand the anatomy of the spine. The spinal bones or vertebrae of the lower back are made of posterior joints called facets that link vertebrae to one another and serve to direct the action of the spine. The inter-vertebral discs join the bodies of the vertebrae and are made of a form of tough cartilage that surrounds a soft material in the center, called the nucleus. The discs act as shock absorbers and spacers between the vertebrae. Ligaments and muscles also link the vertebrae. The wedge-shaped bone at the bottom of the spine is the sacrum and is joined to the two pelvic bones at the sacroiliac joint. In a canal positioned between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. The spinal nerves exit the spine between the vertebrae.

Causes of Back Pain

Most often, back pain happens without a trauma, an accident, or a major injury prior to the onset. The origin of most back pain is the cumulative effects of unhealthy sitting posture, harmful work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of healthy exercise and other poor lifestyle-related factors.  These cumulative factors create stresses and imbalances on the spine and, therefore, some may injure their back simply by bending over to pick up a piece of paper. The spine was already at risk and just the simple act of bending was enough to set off the challenge. When this comes about, the surrounding back muscles go into spasm to protect the stressed or injured tissues of the back. Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Fort Worth Chiropractor can help you to get out of pain quickly.

Disc Problems & Sciatica

Prolonged sitting, especially in a awkward position causes increased pressure on the intervertebral discs and imbalances in the muscles surrounding the spine. Eventually the lower spine loses its usual function and no longer can make room for the normal day-to-day stresses in ones life. In the end, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, allowing the soft nucleus to distend the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it causes the pain that is often referred to as a slipped disc. Sciatica develops when the disc presses on the spinal nerve. The symptoms of sciatica include pain, tingling, numbness, and often weakness in the lower extremities. Sadly, if the disc protrusion or herniation is large and the condition isn't managed properly, surgery may benecessary to clear away the herniated disc material. With chiropractic adjustments and care, which often includes postural exercises, most disc complications, including sciatica, can be alleviated. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms defined above, it is essential for you to seek chiropractic assistance.

Spondylosis

Increased erosion and weight-bearing stress on the spine occurs when there is repetitive damage to the discs, facet joints, and surrounding ligaments. This stress can negatively affect the cartilage around the joints and induce calcium to deposit in the tissues around the vertebrae, forming bone spurs. These spurs can restrict adjacent nerves, blood vessels and soft tissue resulting in symptoms ranging from minor pain and numbness to gross sensory loss and muscular atrophy. This compression causes a form of arthritis, called Spondylosis, that can also occur as part of the aging process of the spine. Nevertheless, factors such as previous trauma, unhealthy lifestyle, and repetitive stress injury influence the time of onset in life. Regular chiropractic care and overall chiropractic management is extremely beneficial in slowing the aging process of the spine, as well as helping Spondylosis sufferers in managing their condition. Your Fort Worth Chiropractor has helped many Spondylosis sufferers.

Sacroiliac Problems

The sacroiliac joints are a general area of dysfunction or injury in the low back. These weight-bearing joints link the upper part of the body to the lower pelvic portion and are normally very strong and stable. However with disturbances such as falls, sports injuries, or lifting heavy objects, the joints can become unstable and change to an abnormal position.  This condition is called a sacroiliac subluxation. Women may encounter this condition during or after their pregnancy. The imbalances in the lower extremities caused by sacroiliac subluxation can cause a functional long and short leg. Individuals with this syndrome will feel pain specifically with prolonged standing and walking, or during or after physical activity. Many complain of lack of energy and exhaustion.  Many times this imbalance can affect structures further up the spine and individuals can develop neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches. Chiropractic adjustments and treatment are extremely effective in ameliorating this problem by establishing proper alignment of the joints.. Ask your Fort Worth chiropractor how you can get effective pain relief.

Spinal Subluxation

A prevalent disorder of the lower back, as well as the entire spine, is subluxated or misaligned facet joints. Subluxations can exist on their own or in conjunction with disc problems and Spondylosis. Subluxations are not only painful, but they can compress the nerves as they exit the foramen (or spaces) between the vertebrae, creating paraesthesia. Paraesthesia is an alteration of sensation described as a tingling, burning or "funny feeling." Paraesthesia in the upper extremities more often than notoriginates from nerve problems in the neck, while paraesthesia in the lower extremities is commonly associated with nerve problemsin the lumbar region (lower back). Visceral problems such as asthma and gastric conditions can also beassociated with, or complicated by, spinal subluxations and nerve compression. Subluxations are best corrected by chiropractic adjustments.

Trauma

Trauma such as a fall, car accident, or sports injury can cause damage to the spine and lower back. Often these traumas create over-stretching or tearing of the tissues of the spine. When this happens a person can experience considerable pain and immobility. Proper chiropractic care at the onset of symptoms is vital in order to prevent long term disability and the development of any of the above conditions. If you experience a trauma, call your chiropractor as soon as possible.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is often associated with low back pain. Chiropractic care offers exceptional pain relief.

When it comes to the spine, chiropractors have more education and training than medical doctors. I can provides state of the art diagnosis and highly competent treatment for any of the above-mentioned dysfunctions of the spine and lower back.

It doesn´t matter who you are, almost everyone will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their life. When I say lower back, I´m referring to the area that makes the connection between the upper and the lower body.

The lower back is responsible with the support of a large part of your weight. That´s why lower back injuries are so common, if you don´t twist, bend or lift the right way.

When you have lower back pain, you will probably spend quite a bit of time trying to find a treatment that works. At least you know that the lower back pain disappears after a few weeks of taking the needed treatment, if you don´t have an injury.

If the lower back pain doesn´t disappear after a few weeks, you should consult a doctor to find out the source of the problem.

In most cases, lower back pain will appear because of strains and injuries when it comes to how much your back can carry or for how much time you can do it.

In many cases, people get injured while playing sports, because they don´t know the correct positions to play.

As our age advances, the muscles and bones are weaker, which means that there is a higher chance of getting injured. Also, the discs that separate the vertebrae become weaker in time.

If such a disc is damaged, it will put a strain on your lower back. Such an injury can provoke increased pain, and in some cases you will need surgery to fix it.

One lower back treatment that works is using an ice pack over that area, keeping it for a quarter hour, every two hours. You need to do this for a few days in the beginning.

A lot of people prefer using heat instead of cold, but in the first few days, this can make things worse. The ice makes sure that the swelling and the inflammation go down.

After the first few days, you can use heat instead of ice, either by taking a hot shower or using a heating pad. You can also use hot water bottles for lower back pain treatment.

There are a number of drugs that can help you deal with the pain, such as Advil, Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Their best effect is if you begin to take them from the moment the pain appears, in the beginning. You shouldn´t wait until you can´t stand the pain anymore.

In the first few days, try to rest as much as possible. If you sit on the bed, lay on the side and not on your back, with your knees sitting on a pillow. If you really want to sleep on the back, sit on the floor, with your knees on pillows, which makes the circulation better. You only need to rest in bed for one or two days if you suffer from lower back pain. After that you should start doing things as normal.

Walking can be a very good exercise when you have lower back pain. A doctor will probably tell you to do stretches and other exercises to prevent future problems and to help with your current back pain.

Discover the best cure for lower back pains. Learn some of the best natural back pain relief treatment you can try at home.