For our Oakville chiropractors – back pain is their area of expertise. Lower back pain is experienced by 80% of the population at some point in their lifetime. That’s a pretty startling number, especially when back pain can be completely debilitating. Whether lower back pain is severe or just mildly achy, everyday tasks can be difficult. Getting dressed, driving a car or even sleeping can become a struggle. Our chiropractors are experts at helping get rid of lower back pain and preventing it from coming back.
True lower back pain originates from one of the five lumbar vertebra or surrounding muscles. The joints in our lower back are built to help us flex and extend (bend forwards and lean backwards). All of the important nerves that innervate our lower extremities exit the spinal cord between the joints of the lumbar spine. Countless muscles attach in and around those five vertebra – so there’s plenty of opportunity for things to awry.
WHY DO WE GET LOWER BACK PAIN?
Pinning it down to a few reasons would be impossible. Sometimes it’s one wrong move, like trying to move a refrigerator on your own. Sometimes it’s many smaller wrong movements that add up over time and eventually start causing pain. Sometimes it’s a trauma like a sports injury or a car accident. Sometimes it’s just due to the fact that you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day and you spine starts to rebel against the inactivity.
There are a few known factors that increase vulnerability to developing lower back pain. Age, fitness level, work-related factors (lifting, exposure to vibration), weight and genetic predisposition all contribute to an increased likelihood of experiencing lower back pain!
Read More About Lower Back Pain Here
Pain in the lower back can arise from a number of structures. The joints, the muscles or the nerves. All of them can cause debilitating lower back pain when they’re at their worst. Read more to find out how we treat lower back pain at Nottinghill Family Wellness Centre.
TREATMENT FOR LOWER BACK PAIN
Spinal Manipulation For Back Pain
One of the quickest acting, effective treatments for lower back pain is spinal adjustments. Spinal manipulation can help loosen stiff joints, reset tight musculature and even help activate spinal musculature that are important for stability. Adjustments are our Oakville chiropractors bread and butter. The quick thrusts of an adjustment create those satisfying popping sounds, which signify movement in dysfunctional spinal segments. Getting adjusted is your best bet to get rid of lower back pain quickly, and keep it away in the future!
Did you know that adjustments are also helpful for people experiencing chronic lower back pain. Spinal manipulation has been shown to reduce pain and improve functioning of the lower back in people who have had longstanding lower back pain. This is why Dr. Steve and Dr.Jenn encourage maintenance care (1 visit every 4-6 weeks)!
Acupuncture for Lower Back Pain
Sticking needles into an area that’s already sore may seem counterintuitive – but these little needles can work wonders on painful joints and muscles. Acupuncture for lower back pain is safe and effective. The needles are typically inserted along the spinal segments in the lower back and top of the pelvis. The healing response generated from insertion of needles helps flush away inflammatory chemicals, helps trigger relaxation responses in muscles and can calm irritated nerves.
Read Our Blog on Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain
Have you had lower back pain for more than three months? If so, we highly recommend you give acupuncture a try. Acupuncture has the unique ability to boost healing responses that typically slow down after the first few weeks of experiencing pain or discomfort. The body gradually pays less and less attention to healing painful areas and as a result, pain may linger. Acupuncture can be extremely helpful for chronic lower back pain.
Shockwave Therapy for Lower Back Pain
Shockwave has quickly become one of the go-to treatments at our Oakville chiropractic clinic. Traditionally, shockwave has been praised for being an effective treatment for tendon injuries and plantar fasciitis, but it is also incredibly good at loosening up tight muscles. Shockwave treatment is a lot of bang for your buck. It gets the job done.
Shockwave therapy applies a high-energy acoustic wave to painful areas in order to regenerate and repair tissues. Shockwave helps build new blood vessels (promote healing), reduce chronic inflammation and release trigger points in muscles. If you’ve got tight muscles that are contributing to your pain – we bet they’re no match for our shockwave machine.
Exercises for Lower Back Pain
If you want to get rid of your lower back pain, you need a strong core. We aren’t saying you need superhero strength, but you definitely need to have core muscles that activate the way they are supposed to. We aren’t even necessarily talking about your six-pack muscles either; but rather the deeper core muscles that help keep us stable and supported during our everyday tasks.
Find Our Beginner and Advanced Core Exercises Here
Are you in a lot of pain and feel like exercise is out of the question right now? It isn’t. Our Oakville chiropractors have a long list of exercises to help build core strength. We have exercises for beginners, or those in lots of pain, and more advanced exercises for our gym rats and people who have progressed through the easier exercises and now need more of a challenge.
Read enough and ready to start treatment for that annoying lower back pain?