Low Back Pain: Time To See A Chiropractor?

The lower back carries a great deal of responsibility. It is the center of our skeletal system and can bear a great deal of the body's weight, even when lifting isn't executed properly. This is why there are many people in the world who frequently experience lower back pain, or "Lumbago."

Lower back pain can be caused by many different things including poor posture, strenuous exercise, lifting excessive amounts of weight and general strain. Your age can also play a role in the health of your lower back.

Most people who experience frequent lower back pain get rid of it after a few weeks of general self-care. For those with frequent severe lower back pain or pain that doesn’t go away after a few weeks it is time to seek medical care.

Some symptoms of lower back pain may be burning sensations, pains felt in a single area or overall, pain that comes on suddenly or gradually, stiffness and muscle spasms.

If you have frequent lower back pain that won’t ease up and you visit your chiropractor, he or she may do many different things. If your chiropractor believes your pain may be caused by a slipped disc, or other skeletal/bone issues, he or she may do an x-ray. After they evaluate your x-rays they will conclude as to what the best treatment may be.

For those that don’t have very serous injuries to the back, Chiropractic care would be the ideal treatment. Chiropractic care is one of the safest methods of treatment. One of the most popular treatments that chiropractors use is called manipulation. Manipulation consists of the chiropractor applying force to a joint. This force pushes it beyond its regular range of motion.

The theory behind manipulation is that when there is no movement of the spine it causes pain and reduced function. Manipulation adjusts the spine to where it needs to be. Some other treatments of lower back pain that chiropractors may use are massage therapy, ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation or range of motion exercises.

Philip V. Cordova is a Chiropractor and health educator in Houston, Texas.