The Department of Health carried out a survey of Great Britain to find the prevalence of low back pain. Of nearly two-fifths of adults aged 16 and over, 37%, had suffered from lower back pain which lasted for more than a day in the twelve months prior to interview.
Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints we see presenting to Younger Chiropractic Clinic. The lower back consists of 5 vertebrae, 5 inter-vertebral discs and spinal nerves that exit at each level of the spine. Often therefore, lower back issues will affect these nerves, producing a wide variety of symptoms in the many areas they supply.
Common symptoms that we can relieve include:
Common complaints that chiropractors see in their Practice include:
Facet Dysfunction: Facet joints are small stabilizing joints located between and behind adjacent vertebrae. They are found at every spinal level (except at the top level) and provide about 20% of the torsional (twisting) stability in the neck and lower back. Facet joint disorders are some of the most common of all the recurrent disabling lower back and neck problems and can cause serious symptoms.
Acute episodes of lumbar joint pain are typically intermittent, generally unpredictable and occur a few times per month or per year. Typically there will be more discomfort while leaning backwards than while leaning forward.
Lower back pain from the facet joints often radiates down into the buttocks and the back of the upper leg. The pain is rarely present in the front of the leg and rarely radiates below the knee or into the foot, as pain from a disc herniation often does.
This is a very common condition that many of our patients present. Evidence shows along with recommendation from the Department of Health that treatment including manipulation and home exercises given by your chiropractor is an effective form of treatment for these conditions.
Disc Herniation: This is a less common presentation of back and leg pain, with a prevalence of approximately 1-3 % of symptomatic herniations although recent studies have found that up to 50% of the population can have disc herniations without symptoms, therefore, not all disc herniations cause symptoms.
Herniations usually occur due to tearing of the outer fibres of the intervertebral disc allowing the softer central matter to bulge out irritating the adjacent spinal nerves which is characteristic of producing buttock and leg pain, weakness of the foot and often associated with numbness and pins and needles. This complaint does not always present with back pain and is often referred to as a slipped disc or sciatica.
Piriformis syndrome. Buttock and leg pain as stated above can occur from spinal herniation, however, another common cause of buttock and leg pain can be due to over tightness/injury to the piriformis muscle which is a muscle of the buttock. The sciatic nerve passes very close to this muscle and in some cases actually passes through this muscle. This can present similar symptoms sciatica.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: The sacroiliac joints are two joints at the bottom of the spine that along with the sacrum form the pelvis. They are a common area of pain and discomfort with patients pointing to one side or the other and often associated with radiating pain into the buttock and or around the groin.
SI joint pain does not often refer past the knee and patients often report pain on sitting, from sitting to standing and pain when slightly leaning forwards as when brushing teeth. Pregnant women can often have pain around this area (please see our pregnancy page).
Scoliosis: This occurs due to twisting in reaction to some of the vertebrae being angled or misshapen. This can exist from birth if genetic or secondary to trauma if a fracture results in the irregular healing of vertebrae. Although this is a structural problem, there are many benefits to receiving chiropractic treatment for pain relief and improving joint, muscle and nerve function.
Almost everyone gets back pain at some time, but staying active, with the help of chiropractic, may well be the best solution.
Poor posture may lead to back pain. Your Wirral chiropractor may advise you to make postural changes is you:
– spend hours a day sitting at a desk or a computer
– slouch in front of the TV
– sleep in a bed that is too hard or soft
– find yourself hunching your back and shoulders in stressful situations
“I only bent to tie my shoe”
Repeating daily activites such as bending, lifting and twisting, as well as other lifestyle factors may result in back pain. This is why your BCA chiropractor will want to understand how you tackle your exeryday activities. He/she will also ask about any injuries to your back as a result of, for example, a fall or lifting heavy weights.
As you go through life, a slight loss of proper movement of the bones/joints can interfere with the healthy working of your spine and the nerves that pass through it. This can lead to pain. Chiropractic care treats the cause of pain, not just the pain itself. Your Wirral chiropractor will carry out a full examination and ask you questions about your posture, medical history and lifestyle, to try to discover the cause of your back pain and offer a diagnosis of your complaint.
Then your treatment will begin, often with gently, specific manipulation or other suitable treatment. This effective treatment is generally painless, although you may feel some short-term discomfort if your back is already very sore.
Your chiropractor may recommend heat or ice treatment, massage or other suitable treatment. Latest national guidelines on back pain suggest that you should try to remain active, as prolonged bed rest or inactivity may slow your recovery. You may also be advised to take gentle exercise to ease your pain and help your body to recover. NICE (2009) Guidelines on the treatment of persistent low back pain suggest that spinal manipulation, such as that offered by chiropractors, may be effective in helping back pain.
Source: https://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/For-You-5-Back-Pain-116-ms.aspx