Health blog Category: Back Pain
Common Causes of Low Back Injuries
Back pain is a primary cause for sick-days in working environments and can cost employers up to $1,685 per employee every year. Unfortunately back injuries are quite common and can happen for a multitude of reasons. Fortunately, there is a effective way to treat these injuries. Take a look below to see what causes back pain and how to address these injuries.
Anatomy of the lower spine:
The low back is made up of the lumbar spine, sacrum, and coccyx.
Read full blogSources and Reasons for Back Issues
Back pain can come from multiple different sources and can occur for a number of different reasons. The muscles, lumbar discs in between the bones and the joints of the spine can all be sources of back pain. These are all things that coming to PT can address as well!
So what can I try when experiencing a bout of pain?
- If you injured your back after carrying/lifting or twisting try icing it 10-12 minutes 2-3 times per day.
Back Pain and Where it Came From
Most of us will experience some form of back pain at some point in their life. Back pain can be debilitating and can make simple everyday activities and movements seem impossible and painful. So where did this pain come from?
Where Back Pain Comes From:
- Muscle strains
- Joint or disc issues (joint deterioration, disc herniation)
- Muscle weakness/imbalances (poor core activation, glute weakness)
- Poor mechanics (squatting/ bending over/ lifting items incorrectly)
What are the symptoms?
Read full blogDiscs: Reason for Back Issues
What is a disc?
Your back bone, or spine, is made up of bones called vertebrae that are separated by discs. A disc is made up of a tough outer portion called the annulus fibrosus and a softer inner portion called the nucleus pulposus that is a gel like substance. The two parts that make up a disc help to evenly distribute pressure and force to act as a cushion. There is no blood supply which means that the disc cannot repair itself.
Read full blogLow Back Pain can be Draining
So you have been experiencing pain in the low back that could be due to facet dysfunction.
What is a facet?
Facet joints are located in the spine at the posterolateral aspect of the vertebra. These are joints that allow motion of the spine and also restrict hyper mobility.
How does the problem present?
- Pain, stiffness, or soreness over facet joint, across low back, into the hip groin, or buttock
- Pain with extension (bending backward)
- Pain with prolonged positions such as sitting or standing
- Worst in the morning and gets better throughout the day with movement
Causes:
- Trauma – car accidents, sports, etc
- Abnormal postures that put strain on the joint
- Constant repetitive motions resulting in wear and tear of the joints
- Degenerative changes that increase the load on the joints (May have increased pain due to disc injuries, decreased height at the disc may put more stress on the facets causing increased inflammation and pain)
How Physical Therapy Can Help!
Read full blogA Pinched Nerve can be Cured
Lumbar Radiculopathy, more commonly known as a pinched nerve or sciatica, is when a nerve is pinched due to inflammation, injury or compression in the spinal column and causes varying symptoms in the low back or down the leg.
The most common symptoms that people feel are:
- pain in the low back or down the leg, occasionally down into the toes
- Weakness
- Numbness and/or tingling
- Impaired range of motion
When symptoms are experienced further down their leg this is called peripheralization, when the symptoms are felt closer to the core of the body this is called centralization. When symptoms begin to centralize or move out of the limbs the symptoms may feel more intense at first.
Read full blogSIck of the Pain
The SI is the sacroiliac joint where the sacrum (lowest part of the spine) and the Ilium come together.
This joint helps to transmit forces from the upper body to the lower body. Ligaments connect the two bones together making up the pelvis. There is generally very little motion at this joint.
When there is injury to the area pain is generally felt on only one side and at the joint line. Pain may also radiate down the leg, which is why it is commonly confused with radiculopathy or low back pain.
Read full blogSolution to that Back Strain
Are you feeling:
- Pain across the low back into the buttock and hip area
- Stiffness and limit motion
- Swelling
- Inability to maintain positions
- Muscle spasms
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you may be dealing with a lumbar strain. A lumbar strain is when the muscles or tendons in the back get overstretched or tear. Microscopic tearing can occur suddenly due to injury or develop overtime. Strains are classified into varying degrees based on the severity of the injury.
Read full blogLow Back Pain & Core Strength
There are many people today who suffer from general lower back aches and pain of no known cause or injury. The likely culprit would point to poor postural awareness and poor abdominal or core strength.
We are presented throughout our day with various different postures with sitting and standing being the most problematic. We are required to hold and maintain these postures for long periods of time. Over the course of this time our body and muscles that support these postures begin to fatigue and we start to take on a more slouched posture.
The Culprits of Back Issues
Back pain can arise due to a number of different reasons:
- It can be of traumatic origin, such as a car accident or a high impact fall.
- It can be degenerative in nature, occurring as the vertebral bones become arthritic and the joints they form no longer move as well.
- It can be postural, developing when poor muscle control causes nerves that emerge off the spine to become irritated.
