Lumbago is a common term used for low back pain. Research shows that ninety percent of people living in the USA will experience this condition sometime during their lifetime.
The pain associated with this condition is split into three descriptions based on its duration: Acute is for less than four weeks, sub acute is four to twelve weeks, and chronic is for more than twelve weeks of pain.
The affect of low back pain goes far beyond just the actual suffering it causes. Those who have it often miss work and regularly seek medical help at their doctor’s office or a trauma center.
It may also progress into sciatica (leg pain, tingling, numbness and weakness that originates in the lower back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg).
The good news is that those who suffer this pain often improve as much as ninety percent within two month whether they seek treatment or not. That includes those with nerve root irritation which occurs when a structure puts pressure on the nerve root.
Medical Approach to Low Back Pain
Phase I: Medication
Although they are not effective on everyone, medications can help to decrease pain and reduce muscle spasms. Acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen are effective over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines with more powerful prescription counterparts that may help relieve pain. Muscle relaxants (sedatives) can be used to treat severe muscle spasms.
Narcotic pain medicines are generally non-addictive and taken for short periods of time by people with sudden and severe lower back pain. A physician should always be consulted before using any medication. Physical therapy may be prescribed along with the use of medications and epidurals.
Phase II: Epidurals
Epidural steroid injections are used for the non-surgical management of low back pain and sciatica. Epidurals provide short term relief that may allow a patient to take part in physical therapy or exercises designed to help them improve.
These steroids can be effective in alleviating leg pain resulting from a herniated disc or narrowing of the spine from arthritis as long as the pain has not been present for more than three to six months.
Phase III: Surgery
In some cases a surgery known as a discectomy is required to trim a disc. A lamenectomy may be necessary to relieve spinal cord pressure. Spinal fusion is another surgical possibility used to join two or more vertebrae to eliminate the pain caused by abnormal motion of the vertebrae by immobilizing the faulty vertebrae themselves. These are procedures with significant risks and benefits. Be sure you are well educated about these treatment options prior to this option (see ‘back surgery after effects’).
The NUCCA Approach to Low Back Pain
Research shows that the cause of non-traumatic back issues is spinal misalignment. The spine is the body’s main support column. When the spine misaligns, the discs bear weight asymmetrically like a tire out of alignment.
The discs degenerate as we age, the vertebrae distort to allow for enhanced stability and the muscle system begins to take on the additional job of holding up the body’s framework. These changes create the kind of musculoskeletal pain seen in low back distress.
Many patients experience painful episodes that tend to come closer to one another in duration and increase in distress over time due to long-term misalignments. These also cause significant muscle spasm and stiffness.
The best way to solve the problem of long-term back pain is body realignment. The result is a balanced symmetry that causes the load of the body to be distributed equally.
NUCCA Chiropractic care provides a valid solution to low back pain and corrects the problems that we believe causes it. Back pain patients respond very well to the specific chiropractic care that we offer to them here at Back In Balance
Click here to see Back Pain testimonials of Back In Balance patients.
If you have tried everything but you have not tried Upper Cervical Care, Back pain relief may be a phone call away. If you or someone you know may benefit from NUCCA Chiropractor care, call the office today at 425-437-9974 and Dr. Schallmann will be glad to discuss them personally.
