The lumbar region (lower back), is the part of the back that begins below the ribcage. Low back pain affects almost everyone at any stage in their lives. In fact, it’s one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work in the United States. Fortunately, this condition usually improves on its own. If it doesn’t, a lower back pain chiropractor can help ease your pain. The most common cause of severe low back pain is damage to the tissues, ligaments, joints, or discs. The body often mobilizes an inflammatory healing reflex in reaction to damage. Although inflammation can seem a minor issue, it may cause extreme pain.
Lower back pain can either be acute, subacute, or chronic.
- Acute pain usually appears spontaneously and lasts a few days or weeks, and it is called a natural body reaction to injury or tissue damage. When the body recovers, the discomfort eventually fades.
- Chronic pain is lower back pain that persists more than three months, is normally serious, does not respond to initial therapies, and necessitates a careful medical examination by a lower back pain chiropractor Austin-based, or any other location to pinpoint the precise cause of the pain.
- Subacute pain: This form of pain is normally muscular in nature (such as a muscle strain or joint pain) and lasts about six weeks and three months. A medical examination could be considered at this stage, which is recommended if the discomfort is extreme and interferes with everyday tasks such as sleeping and working.
The two common types of lower back pain
- Mechanical Pain: Mechanical pain (axial pain) is pain caused by muscles, ligaments, joints, or bones in and around the spine. It is by far the most frequent source of lower back pain. The lower back, buttocks, and often the tops of the legs are the most common locations for this form of pain. It’s normally affected by spine loading, and pain may vary depending on motion.
- Radicular pain: If a spinal nerve root gets impinged or inflamed, this form of pain may arise. Radicular pain may travel down the buttock and leg in a nerve root pattern or dermatome. It has a sharp, electric, burning-type pain that may be accompanied by numbness or fatigue (sciatica). Radicular pain usually just affects one side of the body.
So, how do you identify back pain?
Symptoms of lower back pain may manifest in a number of ways, depending on the root cause of the pain.
- Pain that is dull or achy and is restricted to the low back
- Numbness or tingling may accompany stinging, burning pain that travels from the low back to the backs of the thighs and sometimes through the lower legs or feet (sciatica)
- Low back, pelvis, and hip muscle spasms and tightness
- Pain that gets stronger after sitting or standing for a long time
- Difficulty standing, walking, or change in posture
If you have pain in your lower back and notice the above symptoms, do not second guess. Give your physician a call or finds a professional chiropractor Austin-based or wherever you may be to examine you and recommend the best therapy to ease your pain before it gets worse
