Today, we’re going to discuss low-back discomfort or low back-pain. Without question, the most common causes of low-back pain is a spinal misalignment and a sprain or strain of some sort. This could be acute, like a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall or a lifting injury. It can also be a minor repetitive sprain, strain or and overuse syndrome. You may do many little things over and over to eventually cause damage to your low back and pain sets in. The second most common cause of low back pain would be that a lumbar disk herniation or what people call a disk bulge. For those who don’t know, a sprain or strain involves a partial tear in a muscle, tendon or ligament. You sprain a ligament and you strain a muscle. When your back is out of alignment, it’s called a spinal subluxation. Sub means partial and luxation means dislocation, so it's a partial or minor dislocation of your vertebrae.
To help alleviate low -back pain that is the sprain or strain variety, first and foremost, we do spinal adjustments to get the vertebrae back into a more proper position. This helps to alleviate pain and increase range motion. I can also perform the Graston Technique to help those injured muscles, tendons and ligaments heal more also do a variety of techniques to help heal the soft tissue and reduce inflammation. This includes electrical muscle stimulation, cold laser therapy and applying ice to the area. In most cases patients feel improvement with each visit and with minor on complicated cases patients are doing quite well in just a few weeks.
A disk bulge is happens when one of the disks or pads in between the vertebrae you can squish out and put pressure on the spinal cord or nerve and cause a significant amount of neck pain. This in most cases involves leg pain of some sort. Whether its numbness, tingling or weakness or sharp pain radiating down one or both legs. Many people call it a slipped disk, but the disk doesn't actually slip. It bulges out almost like stepping on a melted ice cream sandwich. The disk is comprised of two parts. The outer is a ring-like structure like an onion ring. The inner portion is a gel-like structure that is used as a shot sorption. When a disk bulges, the gel structure begins to leak through the ring-like structure and hits on the nerve.
To help with a disk bulge, First and foremost, I would perform axial decompression on the patient's neck. This is a very gentle form of specific computerize traction which helps take pressure off to disks and helps take pressure off the nerves. It also helps reduce muscle spasm and more importantly reduce the neck pain and the arm pain. Spinal adjusting will help also cold laser for pain.
Disk bulges can be quite severe and incredibly painful. If someone is very acute, meaning the injury is quite painful and it may take a few weeks before you begin to feel more comfortable. However, if you are fortunate and catch the disk bulge early, some began to feel relief of pain within the first few visits. In most cases, even a severe disk bulge can be significantly improved between four and seven weeks.
Last week, we discussed mid-back pain and how getting adjusted can take pressure off the nerves going to certain organs and consequently improve how that organ works. The same thing happens in the low back. We all know the nerves come out the spinal column and go to various organs. In the upper low back the nerves come out and the spine and go to the large intestines, reproductive organs and upper legs. In the middle aspect of the low back, the nerves come out the spine and go to the large intestines, bladder, muscles of the lower back and legs. The lower portion of the low back the nerves come out and go to the intestines (prostate for men) and lower legs. So when people with digestion issues or reproductive issues come in, I focus on adjusting low- back subluxations, so I can help the body restore proper nerve supply to these organs. Proper nerve supply is needed for proper organ function. Also, anyone with radiating leg pain should be examined immediately, because it could be a subluxation or disk herniation. As we discussed earlier, with a disk herniation or misalignment, the spine can also cause pain, discomfort or numbness and tingling in the legs.
In closing, remember that spring and summer just around the corner and that means landscaping projects, softball leagues, house remodeling projects and many other activities that involve your mid back. Don't spend this short summer season in pain if you don't have to. Keep your spine in shape like getting adjusted now and then and enjoy life to the fullest.
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