What Causes Back Pain?

 

In a healthy spine, all your spinal joints are properly aligned and able to move freely in a predictable manner. When you have an injury, be it from an accident or just repetitive stress, some of your back joints start to lock up and behave differently. This causes irritation to the surrounding tissues such as the muscles, ligaments, discs and sometimes the nerve roots. This is usually what causes your pain. If the irritation affects the nerve roots, then shooting pain can be felt in the thigh and leg, this is known as ‘sciatica’ You may only feel a pain in the muscles of the back, but this often suggests and underlying joint problem or imbalance.

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How can Chiropractic Help

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Chiropractic can help by correcting misaligned spinal vertebrae (referred to as vertebral subluxation) in the back. These subluxations can cause disc herniation, and over time can cause degeneration or 'wear and tear' in your back.  
Your chiropractor is highly trainied in diagnosing and treating these vertebral misalignments or subluxations. 
 

Of course your chiropractor will discuss also exercise, ice and other suggestions which may help you recover more quickly and prevent a relapse of your lower back pain. It is worth remembering that even though pain can subside within a few days it may still be a sign of an underlying condition and should be checked by a qualified health professional without delay.

Masking the symptoms (pain)  doesn't solve the real problem – that of 'what has caused the pain to appear in the first place'? Treating the symptoms should only ever be a very short-term measure to diminish the pain and to make you more comfortable until you can get the cause addressed.

 

5 Ways to improve your Back



1. Walk - Aim for 20 - 30 minutes each day

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2. Don’t sit – Make sure you take a 30 second standing/walking break every 30 minutes. This will go a long way to prevent LBP.

 

3. Drink enough water. Your discs have an extremely important role in the health of your spine and nervous system.  The disks take in water to keep lubricated and allow the cartilage in them to keep its cushioning properties. 

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4. Strengthen your core. Your core muscles are the ones which guide and control your spinal movement. If they are weak, your spine will be much more vulnerable to injury.
 

5. Have your spine checked by your chiropractor. Your chiropractor is trained at detecting spinal dysfunction. When you live with spinal dysfunction your spinal joints wear out more quickly because of the alteration in biomechanics. Having your spine adjusted can restore normal spinal function and therefore have your back in peak condition.