Experts have estimated that 80% of the population will be exposed to back pain at some time in their life. If you have it there is a 1 in 3 chance it will recur next year. I hear it all of the time, “ I went to my GP and he didn’t even look at my back, he just gave me a prescription for the pain and it is not helping.”
Well It is not your doctors’ fault. We all know that they are overly busy. Back pain is a major problem that most times has a physical biomechanical reason for being there and taking a pain pill or anti-inflammatory drug does not get rid of the problem it only tries to lessen the symptoms.
The Cause Of Back Pain
What really needs to happen is that you need someone who is an expert in getting to the cause of the problem to make a proper diagnosis. There are many sources of back and neck pain. Some of them are:
Sciatica
Sciatica is a bit of an overused description for back pain the goes down the leg. But what it is is compression or irritation or pinching of a nerve that leads to pain or numbness even weakness down through the buttocks down the leg and even to the foot and toes.
Slipped Disc
Damage or wear to the disc in between the spinal bones or vertebrae is often referred to as ‘slipped disc’ or ‘disc bulges’. Whatever your GP has called it, it can cause mechanical spinal dysfunction, pain even nerve irritation and loss of nerve function.
Facet Syndrome
Your facet joints are the joints of the spine and if they get into trouble they can cause pain in all areas along the spine from your neck to your low back.
Sacroiliac Dysfunction
Sacroiliac joints are at the very base of your spine and can cause mild to excruciating pain for and individual. The pain can be only for brief actions like going from sitting to standing and walking or it can come on after a while of standing or walking or it can be constant. Many patients feel like it is in their hips or shooting around to the front of their thighs.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal distance from front to back or side to side narrows. This is often due to another problem like a disc bulge, disc osteophyte complex or bone spurs.
Degenerative Disc Disease
With age, spinal trauma and over use, your spinal discs are more likely to degenerate or get Degenerative disc disease (DDD). This is a cumulative effect of posture, trauma and the overall wear and tear that we do to ourselves throughout life. Degenerative disc disease can lead to other conditions like osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis.
How Can I Tell Which One Is My Cause Of Back Pain?
As you can see from this partial list of back pain causes, there are many potential sources of your pain. And not all of them are helped in the same way. You need to go to someone who specializes in back and neck problems. I know from my 25 years of practice that there are ways to examine a patient and differentiate the source of the pain and then, when appropriate, to apply specific treatment protocols to get the functional problem physically working better so that the reason for the pain can be reduced or eliminated.
Eliminating The Cause Of Back Pain
Getting to the source of my patients back pain and helping them get their life back is my main objective. I have been training and practicing for over 25 years and it would be my honor to help you or a loved one get rid of their back pain.