Do you suffer with Lower Back Pain?
By Dave Ballentine (MChiro) – Chiropractor at Wellbeing Chiropractic.
If the answer is Yes then you are one of the 2.5million people in the UK who suffer with Back Pain every day of the year (1) and it is estimated that approx. 60-80% of people will suffer with Lower Back Pain at some point in their Adult Life (2). In the UK Lower Back Pain accounts for approx. 119million lost work days per year (1), in many cases by resting and using anti-inflammatories this will reduce the pain, but this does not address the root cause of the problem, why did the lower back have the inflammation in the first place?
Anybody who feels pain takes notice of it, if something hurts then there must be a problem, but if the pain goes away then everything is OK…right? Well actually not……there are approx. 100billion nerves in the human body, but only 10% of these nerves will perceive pain, the other 90% are responsible for regulating and controlling the muscles, organs, hormones etc.
If you are reading this blog and you suffer with Lower Back Pain, then you will understand just how much this can affect your daily life, causing restriction of movement, difficulty when standing, sitting, walking or lying down. Lower back pain can be caused by trauma such as a fall, heavy lifting or twisting, in some cases due to disease or illness, but in many people, the cause is a combination of poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle where the pain can come on gradually.
As humans we are designed to be active, our spine is an amazingly complex structure that allows you to move in different directions, run, jump, swim during those actions it is the vertebrae (bone of the spine) that acts to protect the spinal cord from damage. The spine is split into 3 regions, the neck (Cervical), Mid-Back (Thoracic) and Lower Back (Lumbar), not forgetting the Sacrum which is a triangular bone at the base of the spine, which can also be a contributing factor to Lower Back Pain.
If we look at the 21st century human, we now have a more sedentary lifestyle than at arguably anytime in human history, we have a wealth of technology at our fingertips which means we rarely have to move very far from our desk or home to buy goods or food. With the advancements in portable/wearable technology you no longer need to sit at a desk, you can comfortably sit on the sofa, bus, train, laid in bed, and with this also comes a change in posture if you spend a significant amount of time in this position it can affect the Lower Back.
Lower Back pain can present in many different forms, from mild discomfort, or niggling low-level pain, to an aching/burning sensation or in extreme cases a sudden onset of severe pain which can often radiate to the buttocks and legs. A Chiropractor would carry out an assessment using orthopaedic testing and palpation of the spine to understand the root cause of the pain, if there are no contraindications, and then he/she will perform specific adjustments to re-align the spine and remove the pressure/ interference from the nerves.
If this describes the condition you are suffering with, then maybe it’s time you made an appointment to see your local Chiropractor. Wellbeing Chiropractic offers chiropractic services in Northampton and surrounding area, we are located near M1 Jct15, if you are interested then please contact us to discuss further.
Email us: [email protected] if you require more information or visit our website at: www.wellbeing-chiropractic.co.uk
Dave Ballentine (MChiro)
References:
1) Back Pain Survey, 2001
2) Macfarlane, G.J., Thomas, E., Croft, P.R., Papageorgiou, A.C., Jayson, M.I., Silman, A.J., 1999. Predictors of early improvement in low back pain amongst consulters to general practice: the influence of pre-morbid and episode-related factors.. Pain, Pain 80, 113-9.
