BACK PAIN

Chiropractic Treatments for Back Pain

Chiropractic care can be a very effective option for back pain relief, often times, without the need for surgery. A growing list of research studies and reviews demonstrate that the services provided by chiropractors are clinically effective, safe, and affordable.

Select one of the treatments below that are available at Village Chiropractic:

Bulging discs don’t always cause pain since they generally do not protrude far enough to press on a nerve. When there is pain, however, it is usually felt in the lower back and triggered by actions such as bending, coughing and sneezing.

Common symptoms of bulging discs can include:

• Muscle spasms

• Tingling or pain in the fingers, hands, arms, neck, or shoulders (indicates a bulging disc in the cervical, or neck, area)

• Pain in the feet, thighs, lower spine, and buttocks (indicates a bulging disc in the lumbar area)

• Upper back pain radiating to the stomach or back (indicates a mid-spine bulging disc)

• Bladder incontinence (if the disc is compressing nerves that control the bladder)

• Difficulty walking

• Pain in one leg if the sciatic nerve is affected

Common Causes of Bulging Disc

The most common cause of a bulging disc is aging. You may find that you were doing something pretty normal when the pain began. That’s because our spines start to degenerate as we age. Here are some other factors that contribute to bulging discs:

• Living a sedentary lifestyle

• Smoking

• Being obese

• Continuous strain from injury or heavy lifting

• Weakened back muscles

• Improper body positioning during sitting, standing, sleeping, or exercising

Herniated discs are often referred to by other names including slipped disc and ruptured disc.

These discs act as cushions between the vertebrae (bones) in your spine. When a disc cracks and the inner fluid leaks out, it has herniated. This is different from a bulging disc because the capsule of fluid actually splits open when it herniates. Most herniated discs occur in the lower back.

Symptoms of Herniated Discs

The fluid that leaks out causes a lot of irritation and/or compression which causes pain that can be intense. Other herniated disc symptoms include:

• Muscle spasms in the back

• Unexplained weakness when standing or walking

• Numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in the lower limbs

• Chronic pain in any extremities including the legs, feet, neck, arms, buttocks, hands, and arms

• Pain that is worse at night, after standing or sitting, or with certain movements

Causes of Herniated Discs

Herniated discs are usually caused by normal wear and tear that comes with aging. Over time, the outer ring of your intervertebral disc becomes weakened, allowing the inner disc to slip out of place. Factors that may increase your risk for developing a herniated, slipped, or ruptured discs are about the same as the factors that contribute to a bulging disc and include:

• Sitting for long periods of time

• Being overweight

• Weak back muscles

• Lifting, moving, or twisting with heavy objects using the wrong technique

• Constant pulling, lifting, or straining or the back and spine

• An injury to the spine

• Smoking

• A family history of disc degeneration

• Gender (men are more commonly affected than women)

Degenerative disc disease refers to symptoms of back or neck pain caused by wear-and-tear on a spinal disc. When a back is young and healthy, the discs between the vertebrae act as shock absorbers, allowing the back to stay flexible while resisting forces. As a normal process of aging, the rubbery discs begin to shrink and lose their cushioning properties.

Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease is often indicated by a low-grade, continuous pain around the degenerating disc that occasionally flares up into more severe and sometimes debilitating pain. Other signs that might indicate degenerative disc disease include, especially if it has lasted longer than six weeks include:

• Acute pain that is worse while seated

• Pain that worsens when you bend, lift, or twist your spine

• Pain that improves when you go from sitting or standing to walking or running

• Pain that improves when you switch positions or lie down

Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease

In most cases, age is a contributing factor of degenerative disc disease. However, not everyone who ages will develop this painful condition. Common causes of degenerative disc disease include:

• Normal wear and tear from sports and daily activities

• Loss of fluid that causes the center of the disc to dry out

• Trauma or injury that causes swelling or soreness

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves at the level of the lumbar vertebrae, causing chronic back pain and pressure. The lumbar spine is the lowest part of the spinal cord and is surrounded by the hips, buttocks, and lower back. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common than cervical stenosis and usually develops later in life, affecting people who are over the age of 50.

Symptoms of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Some people with lumbar spinal stenosis may not have symptoms. Others may experience:

• Leg pain while standing

• Extreme leg pain while walking that goes away immediately after sitting down

• A tingling and/or numb sensation from the lower back through the buttocks and legs

Causes of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by wear-and-tear changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis. However, there are other factors that can contribute to developing this condition, which include:

• Bone spurs (overgrowth of bone)

• Herniated discs

• Thickened ligaments in the spinal area

• Tumors

• Spinal injuries