Low Back Pain

Causes of Low Back Pain

Usually, the frequent cause of low back pain has to do with mechanical issues and soft-tissue injuries. The intervertebral discs, squeezing or confining the nerve roots, and the incorrect movement of the spinal joints can cause injuries to the soft-tissue.

A torn or pulled muscle and/or ligament is the most common cause of low back pain.

Some other causes of low back pain are muscle strains and ligament sprains. These can be sudden or evolve slowly with repeated movements. The symptoms and treatment are the same for either a strained muscle and a sprained ligament.

The typical causes of sprains and strains are: lifting a heavy object or turning the spine while lifting an object; moving quickly causing too much stress on the low back, i.e. falling; poor posture; sport injuries, i.e., golfing, hockey, football, tennis, cheerleading, gymnastics – any sport that has a lot of twisting or huge strength contact.

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Causes of Chronic Low Back Pain

• A lumbar herniated disc, which is the jelly-like center of a lumbar disc that can get through the outer layer and aggravate a nerve root. The reason this causes relentless pain is because the herniated part of the disc is full of proteins. That will cause inflammation when it reaches a nerve root. Also, the disc wall has an abundant supply of nerve fibers and if the disc wall gets a tear, it too will cause horrible pain.

• Degenerative disc disease is another cause of low back pain. What happens with this disease is that when you are born your intervertebral discs are full of water, which makes them very healthy. However, as we get older, the discs start losing the water and cannot repel forces like it use to therefore, it transfers the force to the disc wall. Herniation can occur due to tears that cause pain and weakens the disc wall. It can also cause the disc to collapse and cause stenosis (narrowing) that can cause pressure on your spinal cord or the nerves from the spinal cord to the muscles.

• Facet joint dysfunction. In the lumbar spine there are two facet joints behind each disc at the motion segment. The joints have cartilage between the bones and are surrounded by a capsular ligament that amply empowered by nerves. The joints themselves can cause pain or the pain can be concurrent with disc pain.

• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction. This joint attaches the sacrum at the bottom of the spine to either side of the pelvis. This joint acts like a shock absorber between the upper and lower body. If the sacroiliac joint becomes inflamed or if there is too little or too much motion of this joint it can become painful.

• Spinal stenosis causes pain because of the narrowing of the spinal canal that houses the nerve roots.

• This occurs when one vertebra slips over the adjoining one. Instability of the back or the squeezing of the leg nerves can cause low back pain.

• Osteoarthritis, which is from wear and tear of the disc and facet joints. Spinal osteoarthritis (spondylosis or degenerative joint disease) progresses slowly and is usually due to aging.

• Deformity. Scoliosis or kyphosis, which is curvature of the spine.

• Fractures or if the spine is dislocated can lead to pain.

• Compression fracture. This type of fracture where the bone basically caves in on itself occurs in the cylindrical vertebra and can cause sudden pain. Usually this type of fracture occurs from osteoporosis and is associated with older people.

Low Back Pain Treatment

At Health & Rehab Chiropractic we use the latest technology and equipment to help us diagnose and treat neck pain using drug free, non-surgical, hands-on approach to relief your neck problems. We rely on the body’s natural recuperative abilities to promote healing. Serving Chantilly, Manassas and Centerville to help relive your acute or chronic low back pain.

The first thing we do when you come to us is to do a comprehensive evaluation of any limitations you are experiencing and the areas of pain. A comprehensive evaluation includes postural and biomechanical assessments to diagnose your problem. Our treatment plans are designed especially for you and your needs and goals. Our doctors use hands-on manipulation of the spine and physical therapy to help you return to all your normal activities. We will also give you a personalized home exercise program so you can stay healthy and improve your rehabilitation. If necessary, we will consult your employer and case manager.

Give us a call at (703) 877-0787 or