Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain can be in response to any number of issues but typically begins as a result of damage, degeneration, or disease in the discs that make up your lumbar region. In addition to chronic conditions, it’s not uncommon for our clients to experience lower back pain as a result of their job, their regular workouts, their posture, or a herniated disc. There are also other factors that put you at risk for lower back pain. If you’re overweight, lead a sedentary lifestyle, or lift heavy objects at your job, you are more likely to experience lower back pain.

Annular Tearing

(Internal Disc Disruption)
In between the discs of your spine are groups of ligaments that make up a ring of cartilage fibers called your annulus fibrosus. These ligaments, and the nucleus of your discs, are not unlike shock absorbers for your spine. With time, impact, and stress, these ligaments can wear down. When the nucleus of the disc pushes through the tear, it is known as a herniated disc. An annular tear is what happens when the disc ruptures and the ligaments tear. Annular tears can be caused by injury or accidents, repetitive motions, lifting or carrying too much, or just from sitting for too long. While some annular tears heal on their own, without proper treatment, it can lead to weakness in the lower back, and leave you vulnerable to future injury.

Lumbar Disc Herniation

Between each of your vertebrae in your spine is an intervertebral disc that acts as a sort of suspension system. It’s these discs that allow your spine to bend, twist, and rotate. Your intervertebral discs are made of two parts ─ the nucleus pulposus and the annulus fibrosus. When these parts start to degrade, it can lead to a disc herniation. When the gel-like nucleus pulposus begins to push against the discs, it can put pressure on the spinal cord and nearby nerve roots. This leads to numbness, weakness, and pain in one or both of your legs, a condition called sciatica.

Lumbar Radiculopathy

The nerves in your lower back are connected to parts of the body like your legs, thighs, feet, hips, and buttocks. When the nerves are irritated in your lower back, you’ll experience pain in all of these regions. When you’re experiencing pain as a result of irritated nerves in your lower back, you’ll be given the general diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy. This condition is caused by one of four conditions, including disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, and degenerative joint disease. All of these conditions lead to the compression and inflammation of the spinal nerve roots in the lower back.

Retrolisthesis

There are numerous ways for the ligaments in your spine to be injured or damaged. Reolisthesis is when a ligament is damaged, causing the vertebra to displace, or shift, backward in the spine. In effect, the vertebrae above and below it are now out of alignment. This is a fairly uncommon condition but can occur in one of three forms. Complete, partial, and stair-stepped retrolisthesis all involve a vertebra moving backward in relation to the vertebrae above and below it. The degree to which the vertebra has moved determines your diagnosis. Retrolisthesis can limit your range of motion, create a bulge or distortion in your back, and can cause numbness, tingling, and pain in your lower extremities.

Sciatica

The term sciatica refers to the pain that moves along your sciatic nerve. This nerve stems from your lower back and down each leg, traveling through your buttocks, hips, and thighs. Generally, sciatica is only experienced on one side of the body at the time. Sciatica is usually in response to another lower back injury, like a herniated disk, a bone spur, or when the spine narrows and compresses part of the sciatic nerve. While most symptoms of sciatica go away on their own, if you have persistent pain that lasts more than a week, it’s time to reach out and connect with the chiropractors at Scott Family Health.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis refers to a narrowing of the spine and is usually caused by osteoarthritis. When new bone growth occurs, the ligaments around the spinal cord thicken, which can pinch the nerves. This condition is generally found in patients over the age of 50, or as a result of other degenerative conditions like degenerative disc disease or degenerative joint disease. As we age, or live with a degenerative condition, the body responds to instability in the spine by creating new bone and thickening ligaments to compensate. This can block the spinal canal, leading to symptoms like pain, weakness, and numbness in the lower extremities.

Spondylolisthesis

This condition is caused by a slippage of the vertebrae at the base of the spine. Isthmic spondylolysis is a defect or fracture of either or both of the wing-like parts of the vertebrae called the pars interarticularis. When damaged, this can cause the vertebrae to move forward or backward in the spine, and in some cases can even slip below a bone near it. This slippage can create pressure on the spinal cord and compress the nerves at the damaged area of the spine. Degenerative spondylolisthesis is the result of a joint disease that allows the vertebrae in the lower back to shift, leading to a pinched or pressured nerve. Patients with spondylolysis often report symptoms like muscle spasms, severe pain in the lower back, and tingling or numbness in the arms and legs.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Despite the name, degenerative disc disease is not actually a disease. Rather, it is a condition that refers to the pain that is caused by a loss of disc integrity. Whenever there’s a notable weakening of the intervertebral discs in the spine, you’ll be diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. Discs can begin to degenerate as a result of a number of factors. This includes causes like aging, the drying out of discs, sports injuries, daily activities, and injuries that cause swelling and instability in the spine. This instability often puts pressure on the nerves in the spine, leading to localized pain.

Degenerative Joint Disease

Also commonly referred to as osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease occurs when the cartilage that cushions the joints of your spine begin to weaken and wear down. Your facet joints play a critical role in stabilizing your spine and also allow you to bend and twist your back. As these joints become misaligned, injured, or stressed, they can lose fluid, which causes the cartilage within the joints to rub together and cause pain in the lower back. The degree to which you experience that pain depends on how much damage the facet joints of the spine have incurred. Symptoms of degenerative joint disease of present as stiffness, achiness, and reduced movement in your back.

Vertebral Subluxation

When they’re healthy and strong, the spinal nerves and spinal cord act as a pathway for your body to send energy and signals to various parts of the body. However, when these signals are interrupted by a misalignment of the spinal cord in the spinal canal, you’ll be given a diagnosis of vertebral subluxation. This misalignment ultimately leads to increased wear and tear of the spine. With time, this degradation of the spine results in pain  in the back and the lower extremities. This pain can lead to more serious conditions, like diminished functioning of the organ systems in your lower body.

Facet Joint Syndrome

Often when patients complain that their back has “gone out,” they’re actually describing a misalignment of their vertebrae. This is referred to as facet joint syndrome. Facet joint syndrome is the result of degenerative changes in the joints between your vertebrae. The cartilage begins to break down, putting pressure on nearby nerves and causing inflammation. As the joints wear down, they may develop bone spurs which further aggravates the nerves. This inflammation triggers a pain response in the lower back. The symptoms of facet joint syndrome are often masked until an event triggers them. The resulting pain is often described as a dull ache in the lower back that spreads to the buttocks.

Postural Syndrome

This term can be used to describe pain that is experienced throughout the spine and back. Pain in the arms and legs can also be connected to postural syndrome. This condition is caused by spending extended periods of time in a poor posture or stance. This can lead to pain and dysfunction. The most common causes of postural syndrome stem from sitting at a desk for a long period of time. Most computer work involves sitting with your head forward, your upper back rounded, and your lower back slumped forward. This strains your spine and body, leading to pain throughout the back, neck, and shoulders

T4 Syndrome

T4 syndrome occurs when the T4 vertebra in the spine is injured. Due to the location of the T4, it’s prone to injury or damage during activity, from overuse, poor posture, or from repetitive motions. Generally, individuals who routinely bend, lift, and twist for work or in sport will be the most at risk of a T4 injury. When the nerves around the T4 become irritated and inflamed, you may experience pain in extremities like your arms and shoulders. Symptoms of T4 syndrome include tingling and numbness in the arms, pain and stiffness in the muscles in the back, and pain in the neck. In some cases, you might experience muscle spasms and restricted movement.

Scoliosis

When your spine curves to one side or the other, you have what’s called scoliosis. This curvature often occurs just before puberty. It can also be caused by conditions like cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Most cases of scoliosis are mild and do not affect an individual in a noticeable way. In other cases, however, these spine deformities can worsen as the individual ages and grows. When the spine is particularly curved, it can actually limit the amount of space that lungs have to breathe within the chest. For most cases, no treatment is necessary, but it may require corrective measures in others