While there are different types of lower back pain, they have a lot of similarities. One thing they have in common is that people wait too long to have them treated.
The two most common types are muscular and mechanical. Muscular lower back pain usually results from a sprain, a strain, or overuse. Mechanical lower back pain is caused by problems with the spine, pelvis, and/or related joints in that area. Whatever the cause, lower back pain can significantly decrease your quality of life, preventing you from doing the things you want to do without discomfort.
Both types of pain can cause a loss of mobility as we try to avoid movements that hurt. In addition, you can end up causing additional injuries and strains as you compensate for the lower back pain by using other parts of your body in unnatural ways. For example, if your lower back pain keeps you from being able to rotate at your waist, you may wrench your neck or shoulders as you try to turn using those upper joints instead. If your lower back pain prevents you from walking with your natural gait, you could injure your feet, ankles, knees or hips.
By the time someone comes to my office for help with their lower back pain, they have usually been suffering for at least a month, Googling their symptoms and hoping they go away on their own. Early treatment can not only stop the pain from continuing to get worse, reduce or eliminate the pain, but hopefully help you keep it from happening again.
Don’t let your lower back pain keep you from living your life the way you want to – make an appointment to get help for your pain and learn more about pain prevention and keeping your bones, joints, and muscles healthy.
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