What is lower back pain?
Lower back pain is a common health problem worldwide and almost everyone has it at some point throughout their lives. It is a major cause of disability -affecting performance at work and general well-being and wellness. Low back pain divides into 3 categories, acute, sub-acute, or chronic. The lower back supports your body weight and has a vital role in myofascial Tensegrity. It starts from the floating ribs and attaches the upper body to the lower body. The lower back consists of different myofascial structures including vertebrae, vertebral disks, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, vessels, joints, and spinal cord. According to WHO, back pain is not a disease but a constellation of symptoms.in most cases, the origins remain unknown. The myofascial system of the lower back is responsible for rotation, flexion, lateral flexion, and extension of your trunk. Lower back pain can happen when one of these compartments fails to perform its role and becomes defective.
Lower back pain symptoms
Lower back pain is a constellation of symptoms:
- Muscle pain,soreness, ache, burning sensation,
- Sharp pain or dull pain
- muscle stiffness and tightness
- Shooting or stabbing pain, can radiates down to your feet
- Pain that worsens with different movements
- Pain that worsens with prolonged sitting
- difficulty sitting, walking or standing upright
- Pain can be improved with reclining or be worsened!
Chronic back pain
Back pain is divided into 3 categories :
- Acute back pain : less than 3 weeks
- Sub-Acute back pain : between 3 to 12 weeks
- Chronic back pain : lasts more than 12 weeks (roughly 3 months)
Chronic back pain usually does not respond well to the initial treatments lasts more than 12 weeks and requires more examinations.
Cause of lower back pain
- Muscle strains due to heavy lifting or exercising too hard
- Nerve entrapment like the Sciatica
- Vertebral disk compression or herniation
- Facet joint dysfunctions
- Ligament injuries
- Tendon injuries
- Compression fracture
- Osteoarthritis
- Occupational and postural
- Structural imbalances
- Traumas
- Obesity
- Stress, and anxiety
- Degenerative disk diseases
- Sacroiliac Joint dysfunctions
- Extreme tallness
- Spondylolisthesis
what should I do with lower back pain?
First visit your family doctor. They can diagnose the cause and start treatment
osteopathy for back pain relief
Osteopathy is a non-pharmacological, non-invasive manual medicine. A manual osteopath can reduce inflammation, and can strengthen weak muscles. We, the manual osteopaths, can help the lower back myofascial system to recover faster by applying gentle techniques that bring more blood circulation to the area. blood circulation is an essential part of recovery as they bring nutrients and sweep the damaged particles away. Manual osteopaths can use mobilization and muscle energy techniques to empower your injured myofascial unit and ease its tensions. Joint mobilization techniques help your lower back pain as Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is one of the leading causes of the lower back pain Osteopathy helps your body to recover faster and you can get back to your favorite activities sooner. As a manual osteopath in Vancouver, I have seen a lot of patients suffering from lower back pain. Usually, there are multiple dysfunctions that trigger lower back pain, and helping the body starts its healing procedure takes time and needs multiple sessions.
