Back pain is a common complaint in today’s world as we sit hunched over our desks or staring at our screens. So many people experience some type of pain in the lower back that we tend to think of it as a normal. We break down what is normal when it comes to back pains, what is not, and how you can get help for your painful back.
What is Back Pain?
Back pain affects people of all ages regardless of their health or fitness level. There are many different types of back pains and the pain is usually related to the cause. The most common location for back pain is the lower back between your hips and your ribs. This is called the lower lumbar region. The lumbar vertebrae form the base of your backbone. Along with pain, there may also be stiffness in the muscles as well as a limited range of movement or mobility.
What Does Back Pain Feel Like?
Back pains has many forms. For some, it is a dull aching or soreness that is worse with movement. For others, it can be worse with no movement and is typically more painful in the morning after a night’s sleep. There may also be a sharp stabbing sensation with any movement to the torso. The pain can radiate down your leg into your foot and you may feel numbness, tingling, and weakness in your lower back, buttocks, legs, and feet.
What Causes Back Pain?
- Muscle tension caused by sitting or sleeping in an awkward position
- Muscle strain caused by prolonged use of computers, laptops, screens, smartphones when you are not sitting properly
- Injury or trauma – often an injury that occurs during sports such as playing football, or during extreme sports events. In these kinds of injuries, there can be damage to the muscle tissue or to the tendons and ligaments that support the back.
- A bulging or herniated (“slipped”) disc – this is when a disc of cartilage that sits between the vertebrae bulges out and presses on a nerve.
- Sciatica – irritation of the nerve that runs from the lower back to the feet
- Ankylosing spondylitis – swelling of the joints in the spine.
- Spondylolisthesis – a bone in the spine slipping out of position.
- Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)
- Tumor or other infection that causes damage to the structure of the spine
- Natural curvature problems (scoliosis)
When Should You See a Doctor About Your Back Pain?
It is not always easy to identify what is causing the back pain but it is rarely serious. If you have suffered a car accident or a fall and are experiencing severe pain in your back, you should call Dr. Michael St. Louis at Atlas Injury to Health.
Don’t Suffer In Silence. Get Help For Your Back Pain
Hands up if you suffer from a sore or aching back at least once a month? Most likely everyone has their hand raised. One of the major causes of back pain in today’s world is our lifestyle. We sit for several hours a day working at our desks, often hunched over a laptop or keyboard. Back pain limits your activities and upsets your day-to-day life. Lower back pain impedes your sports performance and hampers your exercise training program. While we always recommend talking with your doctor or primary care physician about the pains in your back, what they have to offer you is limited. Often, a doctor will tell you that the pain will go away by itself or they will prescribe a pill or a topical cream to reduce the pain and lessen the inflammation. This will temporarily take the pains away but it does not fix the underlying problem.
How To Fix Back Pain?
Medical or sports massage is often recommended but again, this does not get to the root cause of the back pain. If your back pain is due to bad posture or bending over your laptop or screen for several hours a day, a massage will temporarily make your back feel better but it won’t stop the pain from coming back again.
Chiropractic focuses on not just the pain in your back but also gets to the root cause. My goal as a chiropractor is not only to help remove the pain but also to prevent it from coming back, as well as stop it from developing into a more serious injury. My goal is to help the body to work at its full potential. Chiropractic care techniques allow me to remove obstructions caused by misalignment of bones, inflamed muscles, tissues or other structures that interfere with the optimal functioning of the nerves. When everything in the body is aligned and there is unobstructed flow, the health of the body thrives, enabling it to perform at its best.
Chiropractic Care For Your Back Pains
Back pains is one of the most common reasons people seek out chiropractic care. In my practice, I work with patients to resolve their back pain using chiropractic techniques that involve manipulation of the spinal vertebrae in the back. In addition, I analyze their posture with a computerized posture analysis and give them guidance on corrective exercises that they can do in the comfort of their own home. Let’s be honest, with the amount of time we all spend leaning over our laptops or hunched over desks, lower back pain is very common. However, you don’t have to accept it as part of your life. There are solutions for your back pains and chiropractic is one of the best ways to fix that pain in your back.
Fix Back Pain By Best Chiropractor
Dr. Michael St. Louis at Atlas Injury to Health Winter Garden FL is a highly experienced chiropractor, who is passionate about delivering meaningful chiropractic solutions that result in peace of mind and well-being. If you would like to learn more about chiropractic care, there are many ways to get in touch with us. You can call our dedicated, friendly staff at 407-656-0390, send us an email at info@atlasinjurytohealth.com or message us on Facebook