low back pain

What Causes Low Back Pain

If you’ve dealt with it in the past (or maybe even right now), you know back pain can change your life in an instant.  Low back pain is the number one reason people worldwide visit their doctor and miss work.

Not being able to enjoy hobbies, difficulty in your ability to work, and a sneaking suspicion that you may never get “back to normal” are all normal when you’re experiencing a bout of back pain.

So why do so many people struggle with back pain, and what causes low back pain?

In many cases, your daily habits are a big contributor to your back pain.

Repetitive stress, nagging injuries, a diet filled with inflammatory foods, and a lack of daily exercise and movement can contribute to an increased likelihood of back pain.

Here are the three most common causes of back pain:

  1. Sprain/Strain Injuries: Repetitive stress can create inflammation and lead to sprains or strains.
  2. Subluxation:  Misalignment in the spine that puts pressure on the spinal nerves.
  3. Spinal Disc Issues: Disc bulges and herniations can press on your spinal nerves, leading to back pain that travels to other parts of the body.
  4. Arthritis: As you get older, your body will naturally go through some degenerative changes, and if your spinal joints become inflamed, you may notice some pain.

For over 80% of us, back pain will be something we deal with at some point in our lives. The best approach is to focus on prevention. Healthy joints stay healthy through motion and imbibition (the spinal joint’s ability to pump nutrients in and out of the disc to stay healthy). A healthy disc does not have a tendency to bulge or herniate. Only weak discs typically do that, and the weakness is caused by reduced motion. Subluxation also causes these joints to be unhealthy, and the best way to improve the health of your spine is to get adjusted by a Chiropractor. This takes the pressure off a nerve and restores motion to the joint. This is also the best way to treat your back pain if prevention is too late. Your chiropractor should give you a plan that includes corrective chiropractic care and exercises that focus on getting you out of as much pain as possible and back to functioning in your daily activities.

While it may feel like you’ll never get back to your old self, chances are you will!

If you are wanting to prevent or treat your back pain it is a great idea to get evaluated and come up with a corrective care plan. If you are looking for a Chiropractor in Omaha Nebraska book an appointment to discover the specific steps you can take to reduce or eliminate your pain.

Here are three great exercises to make sure that you can prevent low back pain. Click on each to view the exercise.

  1. Plank For Core Strengthening
  2. Cat Camel To Improve Spinal Mobility
  3. Piriformis Stretch For Hip Mobility

Resources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906