Low back pain is one of the most common types of pain in Canada, 4/5 adults will experience at least one episode at some point in their life. Also is the most common cause of job-disability or missing work days.
To understand better this condition, I have to start describing the types of back pain which can be divided on 2 main groups:
Mechanical Problems: when the cause came from muscle strain or sprain or when disc, ligaments, or facet joints are inflammated and can cause an irritation of the nerve.
Spinal Pathology: when the problem came from any other condition associated with the spine.
As a common symptom that is present we can enumerate pain which is a way for the body to communicate with us and is associated with tissue damage. The pain can be manifested in different ways and vary in intensity, and also can appear suddenly or it can increase little by little, everything will depend on the level of tolerance of each one. Other common manifestation is Restricted Motion, this happens because the muscles are on spasm and this produce pain which makes difficult for us move and perform some activities. Within the most common symptoms already mentioned, there can also be present weakness in your legs, which can be caused by a compression of a nerve in your spine.
There is no a specific cause for low back pain but we can include some circunstance that can help you to understand which is the cause of your pain:
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Poor posture
Repetitive actions
Carrying execive weight
Visceral restriction
Poor lifting technique
Stress
Trauma
Poor matress among others.
If you suffer from low back pain, as treatment I recommend you go to your Osteopathy Manual Practitioner and ask for an appointment. A number of studies have demonstrated that Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques (OMT) are a valuable way of treatment for chronic low back pain and also for preventing acute back pain from becoming a chronic pain.
Another recommendation that I can give you is that a good posture will keep your muscles and joints in the best position to avoid the stress and strain that can cause pain so try to make aware the posture that your body adopt in your daily activities and try to put yourself in the most correct position possible.
