Low Back Pain, Leg Pain and Sciatica

Lower back pain is probably the most common condition Chiropractors treat. It can be described as dull aching pain through to sharp stabbing pain. Often it starts out as a dull pain and over time increases in intensity and regularity. It can interfere with many activities of daily living, often making walking, sitting, standing and sometimes lying in bed very difficult. 

Causes of Lower Back Pain:

There are several causes of lower back pain, the two most common are pelvic misalignment and lumbar spine misalignment (pinched nerve), with each having different characteristics. Early diagnosis and treatment usually achieves the best outcome for patients. 

Pelvic misalignment

Pain and inflammation of the Sacroiliac joint

     Symptoms that may lead you to seeking help include:

• Impaired ability to walk far or pain noticed when walking
• Pain turning over in bed
• Difficulty sleeping, can’t get comfortable
• Patient may feel that their “hip feels out”
• Aches or pains when standing for a long time
• Pain referring (traveling) into the hip, groin or buttock
• Bad cases may have pain referring down the thigh to their knee and not be able to walk far at all

     Causes of Pelvic misalignment:

• Getting in and out of car
• Standing on uneven surfaces and reaching out (eg ladder)
• Twisting injuries
• Falls/Accidents

Lumbar spine misalignment

Pain and inflammation in a lumbar vertebrae joint and disc causes pressure on the spinal nerve resulting in local or referred pain.

     Symptoms that may lead you to seeking help include:

• Feeling of a “pinched nerve”
• Pain worse in the morning and when getting out of bed
• Pain getting up from chair
• Pain is worse bending forward
• Pain can shoot down the leg in the thigh and back of leg (Sciatica)
• Sometimes people present bent over (Antalgic) as they can’t straighten up
• Coughing and sneezing increases the pain

Causes of Lumbar spine misalignment:

• Usually caused by a bending forward and twisting movement (not necessarily lifting something heavy) – repetitive movements of this type cause the fibres in the disc to wear out.
• Lifting heavy objects
• Walking can often relieve this pain as movement will help decrease inflammation

Chiropractic treatment can help free you from Lower Back pain 

When the pain you are feeling is a neuromuscular cause then Chiropractic care is one of the best ways to get relief. It has been proven to be effective in relief of back pain, using non– invasive, gentle adjustments of the bones to help the neuromuscular structures to function normally again. 

Having a Chiropractor adjust a specific segment in your spine can treat the problem that is causing your pain, improving your mobility and decreasing the pain. Your body is therefore able to start healing once a specific adjustment has been given.

Chiropractors are healthcare professionals with a minimum of 5 years university training who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular problems. By restoring function to the specific area of your back that is not working properly Chiropractors are able to help the body get back to normal.    

Book an appointment today to relieve your back and leg pain and move towards optimal health.