How Much Does Back Pain Impact Us?
Chronic back pain and discomfort is a debilitating condition that will affect the majority of Americans at some point during their life. In fact, chronic back pain is one of the leading reasons people go to the doctor and employees miss work. Chronic back pain can make it difficult to walk, sit, drive, and perform routine activities such as laundry, and dishes; to name a few.
What are the symptoms of chronic back pain?
- Muscle aches.
- Shooting and stabbing pain in the back or across the back.
- Pain that radiates down one or both legs.
- Numbness and tingling that can radiate down the legs – Impingement (compression) on these nerves can cause a lack of feeling or numbness and tingling throughout the lower extremities as well as profound strength loss in the legs and/or feet (a sign of an emergent problem).
- Pain that gets worse in specific positions such as sitting, standing, and/or walking.
A Strong Core Means a Healthy Back
When most people think of the core, they think of the abdominals and doing sit-ups and generally know that one needs to have good core strength. Beyond that, most people don’t know much else about the core. Having weak core muscles means that your arms and legs have to try to work harder to move on the unsteady base that is created by the weak core.
This increased workload can lead to excess joint movements throughout the body. It can increase pressure and strain on the discs and ligaments of the spine. Essentially, a weak core can contribute to any number of issues from head to toe with low back pain being the most common issue.
Weak Core → Poor Posture → Back Pain
A weak core leads to poor posture, which leads to low back pain and pain elsewhere in our body. It is important to address these issues as soon as possible to avoid continued restrictions and worsening of pain and continued restriction from getting dressed, taking a shower, sitting, driving, or enjoying playing baseball or soccer with friends and family. Chronic back pain is disruptive to both work and daily life, extremely debilitating and can progress to larger issues if not treated quickly and effectively. Physical therapy is a very effective treatment method for back pain.
During your assessment, one of our physical therapists will access how you move and run tests to determine the root of the problem. They will then develop an individualized treatment plan specific to your needs, to get you back to living pain free!
