What Causes Low Back Pain
Low back pain is something that over 80% of us will deal with at some point. But what exactly causes low back pain? Unfortunately, it’s not just one thing that causes low back pain, but there are some trends and information that we’ve uncovered about the primary causes and, most importantly- what you can do to avoid it.
Your low back is made up of 5 bones (lumbar vertebrae) with spinal discs in between them. The bones protect your spinal cord as it travels down and out the left and right sides between each segment. Supporting this incredible structure is a variety of ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
Most low back pain occurs because the stress on a particular area of your spine has outweighed your body’s ability to adapt. An injury may occur if the stress on an area is too much. The most common low back injuries are sprain/strains, spinal disc bulges/herniations, or face challenges. In most cases, these injuries can heal quickly with the right care.
- Abnormal motion of the spinal joints in your low back can cause pain.
- A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial found spinal adjustments to be superior to both placebo and NSAIDs in the care of low back pain.
- Periodic chiropractic visits may prevent future episodes of low back pain.
The best way to reduce your risk of low back pain is by being proactive with your health. Daily movement, dynamic stretching, regular exercise, and spinal adjustments are important steps to keep your low back tip-top shape. If you have questions about how you can take proactive steps to reduce your chance of low back pain, reach out to iCare Chiropractic today!
Science Sources:
Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2017)
Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. The Lancet 2018
Symptomatic MRI-Confirmed Lumbar Disk Herniation Patients: A Comparative Effectiveness Prospective Observational Study of 2 Age- and Sex-Matched Cohorts Treated with Either High-Velocity, Low Amplitude Spinal Manipulative Therapy or Imaging-Guided Lumbar Nerve Root Injections. JMPT 2013
Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long-Term Outcome? SPINE 2011
Spinal High-Velocity Low Amplitude Manipulation in Acute Nonspecific Low Back Pain SPINE 2013
Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study. JMPT 2010
Risk of Complications in Spine Surgery. Open Orthopaedics Journal 2015
