Lower Back Pain Q&A

 

What are the most common causes of lower back pain?

Lower back pain is the most common disability worldwide. Nearly 80% of the population will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. The primary causes for lower back pain are pulls, tears, strains and sprains in either your muscles or ligaments.

 

From DIYers to weekend warriors, injuries occur from:

• Improper lifting technique

• Attempts to lift objects that are too heavy

• Overuse of the back muscles

• Falling and impacts: Frequently sports related

• Poor posture

Gut inflammation and digestive problems can cause toxicants in your body to leak into your bloodstream and cause chronic pain too.

 

How do I prevent lower back pain?

First, stay hydrated! Lack of proper hydration, particularly in the hot summer months, can be a cause of lower back pain. Water keeps discs in your vertebrae — that function as shock absorbers — healthy and strong.

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Proper stretching and core exercise also help supply healing nutrients by increasing the blood flow to the back.

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Dr. Halperin has a handy user guide that outlines techniques and set-ups to keep in mind when lifting weights or playing sports, or doing any activity that places strain on back muscles.

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What is the difference between muscle pain and nerve pain?

Nerve pain is caused by damage to the nerves and is usually chronic. Nerve pain can be caused by:

• Chemical irritation

• Inflammation

• Trauma

• Compression of nerves

• Infections can cause nerve pain

 

Causes of nerve pain aren’t always known.

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Nerve pain can cause sensitivity to touch or as with damage to the sciatic nerve — located in the lower back — it can result in numbing or tingling of the legs and feet and sharp pains that make it difficult to stand up and walk. Sciatic symptoms (sciatic nerve pain) can be brought on by a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis.

 

Muscle pain is pain felt in your muscles or joints caused by injury or inflammation. A common condition is Piriformis syndrome, which affects the piriformis muscle and can cause spasms and pain near the buttocks. It can spread to the sciatic nerve.

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Muscle pains don’t usually last long, depending on the severity of the injury, and disappear as the injury heals.

 

Symptoms include:

• Aching

• Throbbing

• Swelling

• Tenderness

• Cramping

• Stiffness

 

How does Dr. Halperin treat lower back pain?

Dr. Halperin performs manual muscle testing to pinpoint local back pain, which sometimes radiates to numbness and tingling in the hips and legs. He then uses diversified adjusting techniques that involve a combination of adjustment modalities to treat patients with recurring and debilitating lower back pain.

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Dr. Halperin takes special care to ensure biomechanically precise positioning and thrust to provide the most effective and painless adjustment possible.

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As a slightly gentler, low force alternative, Dr. Halperin also uses a spring loaded adjustment tool to make corrections. This technique is known as the activator method.

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