subject: Easy Ways To Reduce Your Low Back Pain [print this page] There are numerous reasons people develop low back pain. These can range from being a weekend warrior and over doing it to something pathological developing within your body. Statistics show that 80% of people will experience low back at some point in their life, so chances are better than average that you too may have this unfortunate luck. It is possible that you are reading this article with a form of low back pain trying to diagnose yourself with your problem, which means that it is annoying you enough to research what is going wrong. So let us try and help.
Low back pain can be either acute (happen recently), chronic (been going on longer than 3 months), or subacute (somewhere in between) in duration. Most often, the symptoms of low back pain show significant improvement within a few weeks from onset with conservative measures. Most cases of lower back pain are due to benign musculoskeletal problems that arise from everyday stress and strains we put on our body. These include over doing it during an activity, poor posture, weak deconditioned muscles, and many other small things we take for granted everyday. Easy methods for self healing are to follow the acronym R.I.C.E, which stands for Rest, Compression, Ice, and Elevation (generally the legs).
But what if those dont work or you are experiencing other symptoms. In general it is always best to consult your physician or seek the help of an expert such as a chiropractor. Red flags (things that are cause for immediate attention) include: Numbness and tingling in your inner thighs, loss of bowel or bladder control, sudden weight loss/gain, fever, and duration longer than 6 weeks, require IMMEDIATE medical attention.
For the vast majority of patients, low back pain can be treated conservatively. Studies have showed when low back pain does not respond to R.I.C.E alternative and conservative treatment shows to be effective. These include, but not limited to, spinal manipulation, exercise, physical therapy, and massage therapy. These therapeutic treatments are often times painless with no residual side effects. If you think you are a candidate for this type of treatment I strongly encourage consulting with your doctor first and exploring your options. When low back pain is left untreated, often time scar tissue build up and fibrous adhesions develop resulting in loss of flexibility and range of motion, both limiting activities of daily living.
Contact us here is where Dr. Blake Schaffnit can be reached with your quesitons.
