Low back pain is one of the biggest causes of global disability. It’s a very common symptom amongst all age groups.
Most episodes of low back pain will get better in time but most people who have it will have another episode within 12 months. So most low back pain ends up being what we call “chronic”.
Low back pain results in more days off work and impacts productivity more than a lot of other health conditions.
Well, that’s a cheery start to this article! But if you’ve experienced low back pain, then you’re probably no stranger to these facts.
The good news is, low back pain is rarely due to something sinister. It is usually mechanical which means it’s a problem with you muscles, joints or discs.
What is low back pain?
Low back pain is any unpleasant sensation you feel around the area of your lumbar spine or buttocks, and sometimes both. When you’ve got low back pain, you probably don’t care too much about this distinction, but to us as practitioners it makes a difference where you feel it, because it helps us figure out how to best treat it.
What causes lower back pain?
So, you’ve hurt your back. While this can occur after an obvious and significant injury, sometimes it doesn’t take much.
It’s common for us to see people who have hurt their lower backs through very innocuous movements.
You can do it rolling over in bed, bending to tie your shoelace and even sneezing.
We think this is due to a rise in sedentary lifestyles making our backs deconditioned and uncoordinated when performing certain movements.
Similar to how we hurt any other part of our body, in the early stages pain is usually caused by an inflammatory process triggered by our bodies to heal our joints, muscles or discs.
If your back pain is the most common form - mechanical back pain, probably due to sore muscles - then this can often resolve within 2 to 6 weeks, even if left alone.
Sometimes, long after the injuries have ‘healed’ the pain can remain. If you’re in pain for longer than three months, this is known as chronic pain.
The best way to prevent developing acute and chronic low back pain are relatively similar.
How to prevent lower back pain
Remember when we said low back pain is likely due to a deconditioning and lack of control? This makes your lower back vulnerable to injury.
The best way to prevent low back pain is to lead an active lifestyle.
This doesn’t just mean getting more exercise (although exercise is really important and helpful). It also means how active you are in your everyday life - do you sit all day, or are you regularly moving around? Do you get a variety of different kinds of movement, or are you always doing the same old thing?
When it comes to exercise, there isn’t really a superior form, any exercise is good as long as it’s something you enjoy and are likely to do often.
If you are uncertain which exercises to perform, speak to your healthcare provider and make a plan.
So, you’ve hurt your back, what next?
In the early stages it’s important to remain calm and be positive. Find a balance between remaining active and taking it easy.
Clinical guidelines recommend seeking manual therapy like massage, manipulation, acupuncture and movement instead of using medication. In other words, seeing a chiropractor (or physiotherapist or osteopath) who performs some kind of soft tissue work, adjusts your body, and will give you exercises, is a good idea!
Diagnosing low back pain
Your health care provider will ask you some questions and conduct a physical examination to diagnose low back pain.
Back pain can occur for a bunch of different reasons. Most commonly it can be because you’ve hurt the muscles in your back, maybe just a little or possibly more seriously. It could also be due to some more significant structural damage, like strained joints, damaged discs, or wear and tear like arthritis. Perhaps you’ve irritated some of the nerves in the area. More rarely we might see other things going on, like referral from another part of the body, or various pain syndromes giving rise to your condition. Given this, you can probably understand why it can be helpful to see a professional about your pain.
Low back pain scan
Scans like x-rays, MRI or CT can be useful in some cases, but it’s unlikely that you will need one.
Contrary to popular belief, scans don’t always provide healthcare providers with more information. They can sometimes cloud diagnosis and are connected to more expensive treatments and poorer clinical outcomes. So, it’s possible you will spend more money for a poorer result.
Before you consider diagnostic imaging, have an open discussion with your healthcare provider. The best option might be to trial a course of treatment first.
Can a chiropractor treat lower back pain?
Contact us or book an appointment at our clinic in Canberra.
References for our information on lower back pain
Vos T, Allen C, Arora M, Barber RM, Bhutta ZA, Brown A, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The lancet. 2016;388(10053):1545-602.
Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, Louw Q, Ferreira ML, Genevay S, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. The Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2356-67.
Buchbinder R, van Tulder M, Öberg B, Costa LM, Woolf A, Schoene M, et al. Low back pain: a call for action. The Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2384-8.
Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, Chou R, Cohen SP, Gross DP, et al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. The Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2368-83.