Why So Much Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain is one of the leading symptoms that have many people heading to see their family doctor. For many, medical doctors included, low back pain is a mystery. Many people in recent years have chosen an alternative for their lower pain pain treatment.

Lumbalgia, commonly known as lower back pain, is described by many as a tightness, squeezing pain, takes your breath away, searing pain, vice grip pain and too many more to go on.  I've heard them all and I understand the type of situation and pain that they are in.

Back pain begins with the spinal supporting muscles losing their electriacal supply from the spinal nerves that allows for these muscles to shorten. This can come on from repetitive poor posture, trauma, lifting weight exceeding the strength of your back or prolong standing or walking. 

When muscles shorten they lose their ability to absorb force.  Muscles are designed to absorb force in the same way the shock absorbers of your car are designed to absorb force from the road. Let's say for example that I take your shock absorbers off of your car while you are at my office. You'll still be able to drive your car home but its going to be a rough ride.  But lets say that you have to drive across the country. Without the ability to absorb the constant force something is going to break down in your car. It breaks down because of the constant force being thrusted upon the cars frame. The same goes for your lower back. Once your muscles stop properly absrobing force, that force is then transferred to the bones. Aberrant movement begins between the spinal bones which leads to inflammation, which lead to pain. Spinal bones (vertebrae) begin to misalign causing the large muscles to pull and tighten and eventually leading to full spasm. From there, the misalignment of the spinal bones can lead to pressure on the spinal nerves as well as the disc setting it up for a disc bulge or herniation.

Now here is something to think about. Have you ever met an 8 year old with back pain?  How about a 10 year old...? Why?  Because their body works correctly. The muscles turn on and off when they are suppose to which allows for the absorption of force and the protection of the spinal bones and nerves.

On the whole it's easy to protect your back.  But you have to work at it because once you let the muscles go it will take you some time to learn properly how to get them back to where they can properly protect you. I have seen thousands of patients with lower back pain and there have only been a hand full that were so bad that I couldn't help them. Trust me,  I am totally against lower back surgery only for the fact that the results shown through "medical" studies has shown to be extremely poor. The majority of lower back cases can be helped without surgery and without taking hands full of mind numbing drugs.

If you have questions about your lower back or a friend or family member feel free to email me at drc@conwayclinic.com and I will be happy to give you my opinion.