Back Pain
Low Back Pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions in the United States.
Did you know that 80% of the population will suffer from at least 1 episode of low back pain in their lifetime?
Low back pain can also be the cause of other types of pain like; sciatica, hip pain, and knee pain, etc.
At DCFM, we offer an extensive range of services to help minimize pain, and help restore movement & function. Each condition is treated a little differently but you can expect one or more of these techniques on your visit. Soft tissue manipulation, end range loading, trigger point therapy, manual or instrument assisted manipulation, stretches and corrective exercise to help reduce your pain and achieve your goals. Read on to find out more.
Disc Related Back Pain
The disc is the "shock absorber" that lives between each vertebrae (the bones that make up your spine.) Due to age related changes our discs start to lose fluid and become "dried" out leading to disc compression.
Unfortunately this can lead to changes in the structure of the disc and allow pieces (inner nucleus pulposus) of the disc to bulge out from the outer annulus fibrosis that surrounds the nucleus. This can cause local or radiating symptoms.
Once the inner nucleus herniates through the outer ring, pain in the lower back may improve.
However, the fragmented disc material can inflame or put pressure on the spinal nerves leading to an increase in radiating leg pain, weakness, numbness, or changes in sensation in one or both legs.
Most commonly disc herniations occur in the lower lumbar spine at L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels.
Lumbar Sprain/Strain
Lumbar strains and sprains are common injuries that can contribute to low back pain.
A lumbar strain is when an injury occurs to the muscles of the low back. A sprain, is an injury to the ligaments or joints.
When these muscles or ligaments become injured, it can lead to dysfunctional movements, and cause instability in the spine.
Patients suffering from these issues often have pain when walking, sitting, exercise and can even occur during sleep.
Common ways these injuries occur are overexertion, poor posture, poor lifting/moving mechanics and falls.
Facet Syndrome
A facet joint is located on the back of each vertebrae, and actually there are a pair of them. They fit together kind of like shingles on a roof and allow movement of the spine. Each section of the spine neck (cervical), thoracic (mid back), and lumbar (low back), all have facets and they all sit a little differently.
The neck allows for more rotational movement, the mid back allows for more forward and backward bending, and the low back allows for more side to side bending.
Facet syndrome develops when the capsule that surrounds the facet starts to thin, this could be for a number of reasons, and the joint becomes irritated. Facet syndrome can develop anywhere in the spine but is most often found in the neck (cervical region) and lower back (lumbar).