Kansas City Chiropractor Helps Lower Back Pain 

Low back pain can be a real pain (literally!). It can interfere with your day to day life and really prohibit you from doing your normal things. Getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan is the first step in the road to recovery. Here are a few things to help you understand your low back pain and what you can do to help you get back to your life faster. 

Radiating or non-radiating?

First, you need to determine if the pain is radiating down your leg or if it is just a local pain. Pain that goes down the leg indicates some nerve involvement, i.e. sciatica. The radiation is felt when a nerve root is irritated in the spine. 

There are many causes to of radiating leg pain with low back pain:

-Vertebra of the spine is out of alignment, stressing the nerve root

-Herniated disc, pressing on the nerve 

-Narrowing of the spinal canal, also called spinal stenosis

-Degenerative disc disease

-Pregnancy, stressing of the low back

-Excess weight, stressing of the low back

-High heels, low back is not in proper alignment

-Tight muscles in the buttocks “trapping” the nerve

If the pain is not radiating and just local, it is most likely a strain or stress that has been put on the muscles and ligaments in the area. This stress can also move the low back out of alignment which further irritates the area. This most likely is the result from poor posture, sitting for prolonged periods of time, and an overly sedentary lifestyle. Strengthening your core muscles, getting up from your desk more often, and starting to exercise more frequently are some good steps you can take to keep low back pain from bothering you. 

My back feels tight, what does that mean?

Some people describe their back as tight or stiff. This indicates that things aren’t moving correctly and you may have restrictions in the area. Restoring proper function to the area with an adjustment can get things moving well again and make the area feel looser. You may have weak core muscles, which means your back muscles are working overtime to keep you upright. This would all be evaluated during a complete exam, and proper recommendations would be made to get you on the path to wellness. 

What can I do to help with the pain?

You need to be evaluated first to make sure there is nothing serious going on. Going through a complete exam can focus in on the problem which makes it easier to fix. If everything looks good, you can have some soft tissue work done and get an adjustment to start decreasing the pressure and stress in the area. This restores proper function to the area, reducing pain and increasing the healing process. Each treatment builds on the next, so it is important to stick to the treatment plan, even if you are feeling great the next day. 

There are some at-home things you can do to help your body heal and strengthen:

Focus on posture - especially if you are sitting for many hours a day, your need to sit in a way that your spine is aligned

Icing - ice helps decrease inflammation, which is what you feel as pain. Icing for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off can relieve soreness

Lift with your knees - this decreases the stress that you put on your spine, decreasing the risk of injury

Hydrate - your body is 60% water, your discs between your vertebra are made mostly of water and when those get dehydrated they become like a deflated balloon putting stress on the spine and low back. Your muscles need water to be able to move and stretch. Moral of the story, HYDRATE!

Warm up and stretch - if you do start to work out, make sure your body has had a chance to loosen up, this will decrease your risk of injury

Work on your core - don’t go and do sit-ups though! Those put too much stress on your low back. Planks are a very good way to work on your abdominal muscles without hurting your low back.

With the exercises, it is best to go to a chiropractor, physical therapist, or personal trainer to show you the exercises and make sure that you are doing them right. You need to engage all of the right muscles to stabilize the low back. 

Why should I go to a chiropractor for this?

A chiropractor has had MANY hours of anatomy, physiology, functional tests, and functional movements of the low back. They know which muscles should be firing and when. They have exercises for you that can start activating muscles that you may have forgot existed. An exam with a chiropractor can rule out serious injuries and potentially save you from very expensive medical bills down the road. It may take a number of visits, but it will get your body back to a healthier state and help you live a less painful life. 

Call us to schedule your Initial Consultation and Exam!  Better Health is Just a Phone Call Away!