Low back pain still forms part of the top two reasons why people visit chiropractors. And it’s responsible for up to 40% of missed workdays. For the majority out there, back pain is not a “disease”, and for most of us it’ll get better by itself…right? Here’s the lowdown, 30% of you will have re-occurrence within 6 months, and 40% within one year.
If it sounds familiar, maybe you should stop seeing back pain as an isolated event, making changes to your sleeping pattern, choosing to live an active life, and getting the nutrition’s needed alongside an effective treatment plan should be of top priority.
There are a few different examples of back pain that involve leg pain.
- Back dominant pain
Some patients have only pain in their back whilst others can feel the pain going right don their leg too, with back pain still being overriding though. Typically a person would say they find it relieving doing “quick” forward or side stretches. This type of pain would be described as “good” pain since there’s probably no damage to the nerves or spinal cord and there’s no need for surgery. Typically this type of back pain comes and goes, or comes in the form of a spasm.
An effective treatment method for this typical pain would be spinal decompression therapy. https://chiropracticdubai.com/non-surgical-spinal-decompression-therapy/
- Leg dominant pain
There are two common presentations. The first comes from a disc problem, and puts pressure on the nerves and it travels down the leg. This is typically referred to as sciatica. See article: https://chiropracticdubai.com/chiropractic-info/cox-flexion-distraction-a-proven-treatment-for-treating-back-pain-sciatica-2/. It’s a constant pain that tends to feel better when you lie down…
The second is noticeable when standing, walking or running. Pain relief would come from sitting or bending forward. Patients usually feel the pain aggravating when walking, which causes them to stop being active and fall into a sedentary lifestyle. The medical term for this is Neurogenic Claudication. This is common amongst older patients (usually over 60) and it happens as a result of stenosis (narrowing) of the spinal tunnel.
3.And lastly, the SI joints (sacroiliac joint dysfunction) have a cartilage layer covering the bone. The cartilage allows for some movement and acts as a shock absorber between the bones. When this cartilage is damaged or worn away, the bones begin to rub on each other, and degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) occurs. This is the most common cause of SI joint dysfunction. Degenerative arthritis occurs commonly in the SI joints, just like other weight-bearing joints of the body.
The pain can radiate down the leg all the way to the foot and may be confused with a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. The pain may radiate into the groin area. People often feel muscle spasm in one or both of their buttocks muscles.
Problems with the SI joint may make sitting difficult. Pain in one SI joint may cause a person to sit with that buttock tilted up. It is usually uncomfortable to sit flat in a chair.
Chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture are so called active therapy methods. The amount of treatments needed varies and depends on the patient, but an average amount would be between 8-10 sessions.
