What Causes Low Back Pain?
Low back pain is the number one reason people worldwide visit their doctor and miss work. If you’ve dealt with it in the past (or maybe even right now), you know back pain can change your life in an instant. Not being able to enjoy hobbies, difficulty in your ability to work, and a sneaking suspicion that you may never get “back to normal” are all normal when you’re experiencing a bout of back pain. So why do so many people struggle with back pain?
Habits, Stress, and Injuries
In many cases, your daily habits are a big contributor to your back pain. Repetitive stress, nagging injuries, a diet filled with inflammatory foods, and a lack of daily exercise and movement can contribute to an increased likelihood of back pain. Here are the three most common causes of back pain.
For more than 80% of us, back pain will be something we experience at some point in our lives. While it may feel like you’ll never get back to your old self, most people improve naturally or with a little additional help from a chiropractor. However, if you’re experiencing persistent lower back dysfunction or recurring episodes that continue to interfere with work, exercise, or everyday activities, it’s important to understand what may be contributing to those symptoms. Even if your pain improves after a few days of rest, a chiropractic evaluation can help identify practical steps to support healthy movement and reduce your risk of future flare-ups.
How to Move Your Way to Back Pain Relief
Movement is one of the best ways to recover from back pain. Science has shown us that medications and rest are a few of the least effective ways to find relief. Your body is designed to move, and often it’s a lack of daily movement (or chronic postural changes) that causes back pain to begin in the first place.
Discovering the right movements and exercises can help you recover more quickly and prevent future back pain episodes.
Movement is Critical
Your body has three types of movements: Segmental, regional, and whole body. Segmental motion occurs between the individual joints of your body. Regional movement occurs in a body region such as your neck, mid-back, or low back. And whole-body movement is typically what we think of as exercise. All three types are essential and work together to keep your spine and musculoskeletal system healthy and functioning at its best.
The foundation of all movement is segmental. If your joints aren’t moving correctly, then you’ll never be able to optimize your regional or whole-body movement. Moving may be the last thing you want to do if you’re struggling with back pain. But top research organizations have proven that proper movement and exercise are two of the best ways to find relief from back pain. If you’ve dealt with back pain, call us today. Our team will be happy to provide you with a complete movement assessment and personalized movement and exercise plan to help you get (and stay) well for years to come.
Is My Leg Pain Coming from My Back?
It may seem weird to think that leg, calf, or foot pain can often be traced back to a low back problem. But if you’ve had pain in your leg or foot, a pinched nerve in your low back may be creating your issue. Pain that travels along a spinal nerve is called radicular pain, and it’s one of the most common types of pain that occurs as a result of spinal nerve compression.
How Spinal Nerves Affect Leg Pain
Your spinal nerves can become compressed by bone, discs, or ligaments. Facet hypertrophy, or bone spurs, may grow large enough to narrow the spaces where spinal nerves travel. Likewise, disc bulges or herniations can contribute to spinal disc-related structural stress, reducing the available space around nearby nerves and leading to pain, numbness, or tingling that radiates into the leg. Ligaments can also thicken over time or following injury, further contributing to nerve compression. Whether the source is bone, disc, or ligament, many people respond well to conservative, movement-focused care without the need for drugs or surgery.
Leg pain that begins in your low back can start with an injury or for what seems like no reason at all. Either way, your body is telling you to Pay Attention Inside Now! Every day our practice helps people regain their quality of life from compressed nerves. Reducing inflammation, establishing proper motion to your joints, and taking proactive steps to reduce the likelihood of the pain coming back are all part of our care plans. If you’ve felt leg pain, give us a call today.
Why Medications Aren't Recommended for Low Back Pain
A staggering 100,000 people each year are hospitalized due to NSAIDs. Just because these medications can be purchased over the counter doesn’t mean that they don’t have risks and dangers. Leading healthcare organizations have taken note and now recommend that movement-based care options, such as chiropractic, are explored for most low back issues before any medications. The added benefit is that most people who explore chiropractic care take far fewer medications than those who don’t. Why? Because it works.
An Alternative to Medications
Over the past twenty years, we’ve seen the effects of low back pain change our healthcare landscape forever. The numbers of people with low back pain have remained the same even as we’ve lost millions to the opioid epidemic and hundreds of thousands more due to complications from NSAIDs. The good news is that major healthcare organizations have updated their guidelines, and the care that chiropractors deliver ranks at the top of nearly every list.
- Over 100,000 people are hospitalized each year from NSAID related complications.
- Each day, over 100 people pass away due to Opioid overdoses.
- Leading healthcare organizations now recommend the care delivered by chiropractors as the best first-line treatment for low back pain.
While medications may temporarily reduce discomfort, they aren’t designed to address the underlying factors contributing to ongoing low back pain. Understanding why your symptoms developed is the first step toward creating a recovery plan that supports lasting improvements in movement and function.
At Sound Corrections Chiropractic, every care plan begins with a thorough evaluation to better understand the source of your symptoms and your individual health goals. Depending on your needs, your personalized plan may include chiropractic care, movement-based rehabilitation, and advanced recovery-focused therapy to help support healing, improve mobility, and keep you doing the activities you enjoy. If you or someone you know is struggling with persistent low back pain, we’d be happy to help you explore your options.
Find Relief to Your Low Back Pain
Schedule a complimentary consulation to see how we can help relieve your low back pain.
Begin Low Back Recovery Care
