Low Back Pain
Lower back pain is commonly caused by not using your muscles in a balanced way. Uneven use of any joint will lead to uneven wear & tear.
Many people will experience a low back injury from:
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Lifting wrong
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After sitting wrong
(usually with too much arch in the low back). -
Too much pressure on your nerves (Nerve entrapment)
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Muscular imbalances in the hips
These issues often develop into painful conditions like Sciatica and Lower Cross Syndrome.
Acute or Chronic?
Acute Injury
The most common way to get a painful low back is to tear or pull a muscle and/or ligament. Sprains and strains can happen in a moment, or over time from repeating an unbalanced movement over and over again.
When the stress on a muscle is more than it is able to handle, it stretches too far, and tears.
Sprains and strains are common, and they don’t usually cause long term issues, they hurt like they will, and they can seriously interrupt your daily activities, like getting dressed, working, sleeping, and exercise.
Chronic Injury
Your body is programmed to heal itself, and when pain lasts for more than 3 months, it’s obvious that your body needs help to heal you.
This pain is now called “a chronic injury.”
It could be a disc issue (herniated disc), a joint issue, it could be a past injury that didn’t heal correctly, and/or it could be irritation of a nerve.
Common causes of sprains & strains:
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Lifting a heavy object, or doing a lift, with a twist!
("a lift, with a twist" sounds like a drink, but you may feel like you need a drink after doing this!) -
Sudden movements that place too much stress on the low back, such as a fall
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Poor posture, over a long period of time,
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Sports-related injuries
What Does Low Back Pain Feel Like?
It depends on how and where you hurt your low back! The pain could be a constant low-level annoying ache or it can drop you to your knees when you get in a certain position or move a certain way. You may know what you did to it. It could have been coming and going for years, getting worse each time. It could seem to have no pattern at all!
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Pain: dull or achy, sharp, stinging and burning
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Just in the low back, or going down into the butt or the legs
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Numbness or tingling related to Sciatica
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Muscle spasms and tightness in the low back, pelvis, groin, and hips
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It might get worse after sitting or standing for a while
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It might be hard changing positions: standing up straight, walking, or going from laying to sitting up, sitting to standing, or standing to sitting
Traditional Low Back Pain Treatment
Many people go to urgent care or the emergency room with low back pain, and traditional treatment typically sounds like rest and "take some time off." They may prescribe over-the-counter or prescription drugs, back braces, steroid injections, or even surgery.
The goal of these medical treatments is to help with the pain, but these treatments don't typically fix anything.
