You bend, your back aches. You twist, your back aches. Sometimes, you just sit there and your back aches!
Sound familiar?
Let’s take a look at what really could be going on in your spine.
Your back and spine are designed to give you strength and protect the highly sensitive spinal cord and nerve roots. At the same time, your spine has an incredible amount of flexibility to enable you to move in all directions.
Because the spine is such a complex structure, there are many different parts of it that can cause back pain. This includes strains to the back muscles, irritation to the large nerve roots that run down the arms and legs and injuries to the spine’s bones, discs, joints or ligaments.
But of course, back pain can take on a wide range of characteristics, depending on the underlying cause of the symptoms.
For some, back pain may be consistent, while for others, the pain may come on intermittently or only flare up with certain activities or positions. It may be felt as a dull ache or a sharp or burning sensation. Pain may also be localised (only felt in one spot) or radiate to other areas of the body.
Younger patients (typically those aged between 30 and 60) are more likely to suffer back pain from the disc space itself (such as lumbar disc disc herniation or degenerative disc disease). Back pain in patients aged 60 and above is more likely to be caused by joint degeneration.
But by far the most common cause of back pain is muscle strain or other soft tissue damage. While this type of back pain is rarely serious, it can cause severe pain and discomfort.
In some instances, a patient may experience sciatica as opposed to back pain. This can be as a result of certain conditions in the lower back, including:
- Lumbar herniated disc
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Isthmic spondylolisthesis
- Osteoarthritis
You should seek emergency medical care if your back pain is associated with bowel/ bladder dysfunction and/ or progressive leg weakness.
Whatever your symptoms, it is important to know the underlying condition that is causing your back pain, as treatments will often differ depending on your diagnosis.
If you are suffering back pain, our team of highly experienced chiropractors at Homewood Chiropractic are trained to help you. Call today to make an appointment with one of them.
Our Experience Counts: 55 Years in Fareham
Serving the people of Fareham, and surrounding areas of Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the local areas of Whiteley, Hedge End, Locks Heath & Portchester
