Have you ever questioned, can a chiropractor help with lower back pain? If you’re suffering from lower back pain you’re not alone. It has been reported that more than 80% of the population will at some point in their life suffer from lower back pain.
Chiropractic doctors are well equipped in treating lower back pain as well as other spinal conditions. At Perth Chiro Centre, we often receive a number of concerns regarding lower back pain that is caused by:
- An increase in work demands
- Abnormal lower back facet joint dysfunction
- An overall decrease in physical activity
- Increase in a prolonged sitting (at the computer, in the car, in front of the television)
- De-conditioned and weak lower back core stability
- Failure to seek care following an injury or after painful symptoms commence
- poor postural habits and lifting techniques
- History of activities (work or play) generating high levels of spinal stress
At Perth Chiro Centre, we identify the main cause of your symptoms. And work out the best treatment options specifically designed for you and implement appropriate lifestyle changes.
Our goal is to come up with an accurate diagnosis with minimal treatment visits. We also work with a close network of GPs, orthopedic surgeons and other health practitioners who we can refer to if necessary.
Chiropractic Treatment for Lower Back Pain in Perth
So, what does a chiropractor do for lower back pain in Perth? Chiropractic doctors focus on treating lumbar facet joint dysfunction, Sacroiliac joint dysfunction, disc degeneration and muscle imbalances which can contribute to lower back pain. At Perth chiropractic, we identify and correct poor habits and postures that can significantly contribute to lower back pain.
At Perth Chiro Centre, we try to:
Identify The Cause of the Pain
The first step we do in treating lower back pain is to determine the cause of the pain. Once the causes and contributing factors are identified, we will then design a treatment plan that will work well for the patient and help eliminate pain and effectively achieve treatment goals.
Treat the Symptoms
We treat the symptoms depending on the identified cause of your lower back pain. We use different modalities to improving your symptoms. Our range of treatments includes:
- Spinal and/ or limb manipulation.
- Spinal and/ or limb mobilization.
- Soft Tissue Therapy (e.g. Trigger Point Therapy, Dry Needling, Cross friction Massage, Graston Technique, and Stretching).
- Traction and limited traction device is known as flexion distraction.
- Active Care Supervision (Supervised Rehabilitation Exercise Programs, Home Exercises).
- Physical rehabilitation and advice.are Referral to appropriate healthcare professionals for further investigations or co-management as deemed appropriate.
Identify Bad Habits and Implement Changes
The key ingredient to successful chiropractic for lower back pain treatment includes learning proper postural habits and other techniques. Proper posture is one of the most important factors in maintaining the health of the lower back. Proper posture should always be practiced every day to achieve great treatment results.
Poor postural habits that are commonly done on daily work activities play an important role in the development of lower back pain.
We make sure to educate you with proper lifting techniques, telephone techniques, avoidance of repetitive motions, and other factors. Our aim is to correct posture and techniques which will protect your lower back from discomfort and further injury.
Other Therapies
We use manual therapies such as massage and trigger point therapy, this helps in the relaxation of paraspinal muscles and increase spinal mobility. Our chiropractic doctors are highly trained in dry needling and Graston Technique.
Back exercises are commonly prescribed to patients suffering from lower back pain. These exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles of the lower back to avoid experiencing fatigue during the day.
When the muscles of the lower back are weak and easily fatigued the risk for injury increases and the ability to maintain proper posture is reduced.
Stretching exercises are highly recommended to help stretch muscles in the lower back as tightness in these muscles can cause stress on the muscles of the lower back. Stretches and exercises for lower back pain can be performed outside the office without a doctor’s supervision.
We Offer Flexion Distraction Tables
We help you treat sciatica and herniated disc related to lower back pain through our chiropractic technique called Flexion Distraction.
This is a type of non-surgical and non-invasive treatment that is now available at Perth Chiro Centre.
Flexion-Distraction is an advanced, traction based therapy commonly used to manage and treat the symptoms of disc injury, and various lower back pain problems. This type of therapy is proven effective, safe, gentle, non-invasive, and non-surgical procedures for sciatica pain treatment.
Between different chiropractic techniques, Flexion-Distraction is superior in managing herniated discs and sciatica problems.
Anatomy of the Lower Back
Lumbar Vertebrae
The lumbar spine consists of 5 large vertebrae which are located at the top of the sacrum. These bony segments act as attachments for muscles and ligaments in the lumbar spine and also encase and protect the lower spinal cord and lumbar nerve roots.
Given the fact that the lumbar vertebrae are located between the pelvis and upper torso, the degree of stresses endured by the lumbar spine is great. These high degrees of stress result in frequent lumbar facet joint dysfunction– improper motion patterns of the lumbar vertebrae which can cause moderate to severe pain.
Lumbar Intervertebral Discs
Lumbar discs act as a cushion to the spine and permit motion between the individual vertebrae. The lumbar spine is a “transitional” area between the pelvis and upper torso, thus, resulting in high degrees of spinal stress. The 4th and 5th lumbar discs suffer more injuries than all other spinal discs combined.
Disc herniations in the lumbar spine are the most common causes of “sciatica”, it means that the pain is referred at the back of the leg which specifically located in the area of the sciatic nerve. Possible symptoms include pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the legs and/or feet.
In rare cases, a lumbar disc herniation can compress the spinal nerves which can cause abnormal motor control to the bowel and bladder. Although it is rare, if you are experiencing back pain at the same time losing of bowel and/or bladder control, it is important to seek medical attention. Without immediate intervention, the damage can be permanent.
Lumbar Facet Joints
The facet joints in the lumbar spine allow our body to exert considerable amounts of flexion but a lesser degree of extension and rotation. These joints withstand greater amounts of stress from the body and due to that, they are prone to acquiring acute and repetitive injuries and degenerative arthritis.
Facet joints are commonly injured during movements involving rotational or twisting activities. When this area is injured, the level of pain is sharp and localized to the affected facet joint. If spinal problems is left untreated, arthritic changes can occur.
Lumbar Spinal Nerves
The lumbar spinal nerve roots exit openings formed between adjacent lumbar vertebrae termed the intervertebral foramina or IVF. The weakest aspect of the spinal disc is unfortunately in close proximity to the IVF. Thus, disc injuries commonly result in discal problems such as compressing, stretching or irritating the nerve roots exiting the IVF’s.
Since nerve roots pass through the lumbar spine innervate structures in the lower extremities. Any compression, stretching or other irritation can result in numbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the leg(s) and/or feet.
Lumbar Spinal Musculature
The paraspinal muscles in the lumbar spine are attached to the spinal vertebrae and pelvis to provide the torso with movement. These muscles must be strong to control the upper torso. But when the pelvis is frequently overworked and injured. You may generally feel a dull, boring, generalized ache in the area of the lower back.
Sacroiliac Joint
The sacroiliac joints are located between the sacrum and the ilium bones of the pelvis. These joints may also become irritated or injured resulting in lower back pain, buttocks pain, and occasionally leg pain.
This condition tends to be more common in women. It usually happens during pregnancy when hormonal changes and pressure from the forming fetus increase the stress on these joints.
Contact your local Chiropractor for Lower Back Pain
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