Understanding Back Pain
Your back is made up of vertebrae, discs, joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves which all work together in every movement you make. Back pain can occur when one or more of these structures aren’t moving comfortably, are overloaded, get injured, or are irritated and inflamed. This usually results in back stiffness, dull aches in the spine, altered movement, or even symptoms which travel into the buttock, leg, or toes.
There can be multiple reasons as to why the symptoms arose in the first place. Some problems start after a distinct event such as a fall, collision, lifting something heavy, or awkward position. Other times these symptoms slowly build up through prolonged awkward positions, sudden changes in activity, repeated bending, or simply ordinary age-related changes such as arthritis, osteoporosis, degenerative joint disease, inflammatory conditions, and other health-related concerns.
Common Causes of Back Pain
Your back can have aches and pains for a variety of reasons. Muscles and ligaments typically get irritated after lifting, twisting, working the body harder than it’s used to, or suddenly increasing your activity level. When muscles or ligaments get irritated, movement becomes painful and you may feel a tightness or spasm sensation in that area. Joints can get irritated as well and cause pinpoint pain and stiffness, typically after staying in one position for a long period of time, such as a long drive or a flight.
Many people attribute their pain to their spinal discs. Spinal discs can bulge, herniate, or change as we age, but many disc changes cause no pain at all. However, when the disc injury irritates a nerve nearby, this can cause pain, tingling, numbness, or even weakness into the leg.
What the Evaluation Includes
At both our Haas Health locations in Rochdale Regina and Emerald Park, our evaluation starts with when your pain began, where you feel it, what makes it better or worse, and what daily activities have changed. We also review any previous injuries or surgeries, medical conditions, previous treatments, and address any numbness, tingling, or weakness which may affect our care plan.
The examination may include posture assessments, range of motion, palpation for tenderness, and a neurologic exam consisting of muscle strength, reflexes, and sensory exams. Imaging is not automatically needed for every episode of back pain but may be useful when the examination suggests a disc problem, fracture, significant degeneration, or another condition that needs a closer look.
Chiropractic Care for Back Pain
After our examination, if findings point to a musculoskeletal issue, chiropractic care may be beneficial as a part of your treatment plan. When joints and muscles do not move well, they begin to get inflamed and irritated, resulting in pain. Chiropractic care addresses the pain right at the source through chiropractic adjustments to the joints. At Haas Health Regina and Emerald Park we offer a variety of services to supplement your care plan. Care may include movement modification, exercises, different work positions, chiropractic care, acupuncture and massage (at our Emerald Park location), therapeutic ultrasound, electronic stimulation, shockwave, laser, or referrals to physical therapy, chronic pain counselling, or one of our multiple nurse practitioners.
When presenting with disc-related pain or radiating symptoms, patients may benefit from chiropractic flexion distraction decompression offered at Haas Health Regina. This technique includes gentle pumping of the low back to facilitate movement and fluid exchange within the disc to promote healing.
Schedule a Back Pain Evaluation
If back pain is affecting your work, sleep, daily life, sport, or exercise, contact Haas Health in Regina or Emerald Park. Our team of chiropractors, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, massage therapists, and our chronic pain counsellor would be happy to evaluate the concern, explain our findings, and work with you towards a customized treatment plan to help get you back to your routine.