Lower Back Ache

How many times do you experience a lower back ache in a single month?  If your answer is more than three times this is very high.  Lower back pain can be caused from a number of complaints such as: pregnancy, strain/sprains, sciatica, piriformis syndrome, metastasis, overweight and obesity, poor posture, heavy backpacks, and repetitive stresses on the spinal column.  When subluxation arises in the lower lumbar spine it can compress on nerve roots and cause local pain and inflammation.  Sometimes, radicular pain will develop and cause traveling sensations down the posterior or anterior thigh, lower leg, and foot.  This is a significant problem and can further cause motor, sensory, and reflex deficits meaning loss of control, feeling, and inability to respond to a stimulus.  A subluxation is when a vertebra or bone is out of alignment and can therefore lead to nerve root compression, pain, and local inflammation.  A Chiropractor’s job is to correct the subluxation or mis-alignment and restore nervous system function to the entire body.  He or she will deliver a specific thrust in the line of drive of the mis-alignment.  An audible sound may be produced; this is only gases being released from the joint space and is a completely normal response to an adjustment.

Therapies

A Chiropractor will incorporate many modalities when treating a lower back ache.  Some of these modalities include but are not limited to: manipulation of the spine, massage therapy, physical therapy exercises, spinal decompression of the lumbar spine, and physiotherapy such as cold laser treatments, ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, inter-segmental traction, and whirlpool beds.