As a trusted Decatur chiropractor, Dr. Stephanie O'Brien is no stranger to handling chronic low back pain cases. Some patients had relatively simple common back problems, while others had a few accompanying health concerns like chronic neck pain and muscle spasms. This is not surprising given that low back pain can stem from a plethora of health concerns ranging from everyday wear and tear to sciatic nerve compression. So, we thought of tackling everything you need to know about low back pain, especially the red flags that might indicate you need urgent medical attention.
The back consists of several muscles, bones, and nerves, and sometimes, these structures can become compromised due to wear and tear, previously sustained injuries, and debilitating inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Sometimes, it can also develop due to repetitive motion injuries, posture problems, and even pregnancy. Let's help you get acquainted with these different factors so you have a better understanding of how low back pain works.
A vertebral subluxation can affect the integrity of your spinal column. Sadly, it can quickly happen or develop when you have a poor posture or engage in things that force your spinal bones to shift away from the body's central axis. Unfortunately, this can lead to muscle spasms and nerve compression, especially in the areas around the waist, hips, and even the buttocks and legs.
Some employees, like truck drivers, hairdressers, and assembly line workers, can develop repetitive motion injuries. If you happen to be in the same field or have tasks that require repetitive movements, like lifting things from one place to another, it will help to practice safety tips such as the following:
Concussions, whiplash, and other similar traumatic injuries can affect your spinal bones. They can force your bones to slide away from their original position or even fuse with adjacent bones. These can leave the rest of your body parts at risk of nerve compression.
A bulging belly can affect your overall posture and cause your spinal bones to misalign and tug on your muscles and joints. It can also lead to an irritated sciatic nerve and chronic low back pain.
A lot of health conditions can trigger back pain problems. Some of the most notable ones include osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, ankylosing spondylitis, scoliosis, and fibromyalgia. It would help if you worked closely with your doctor, physical therapist, or a Decatur chiropractor. This way, you can manage your risks and find necessary oral medications or specific procedures that can alleviate your pain.
Now that you’re well acquainted with the usual causes of low back pain, let’s help you pinpoint vital red flags you need to look out for. You must pay close attention to these because they can save you from additional pain and life-threatening complications.
Being unable to control your bowels and urinary bladder might indicate spinal infection issues and cauda equina syndrome.
A prickly sensation in this area is a critical indicator of a nerve or spinal problem.
Burning pain is often a sign of neuropathic pain. It can be your body’s way of telling you that you have a compressed or damaged nerve that needs immediate attention.
Dull aching is a usual sign of muscle strain. On the other hand, sudden bouts of intense and unexplainable stabbing sensations can indicate torn muscle fibers or connective tissues. If you have these symptoms, we recommend calling for help right away.
A lot of things can indicate sudden and unexplainable muscle weakness or numbness. Some of these include spinal stenosis as well as stroke.
Do you know how long since your back pain problem started? If it has been around for more than six weeks, we suggest working closely with a physician.
Did you happen to tick two or more of the back pain red flags we enumerated above? If you have, you likely have any of the following life-threatening low-back pain-associated conditions:
If you have risk factors for these conditions, like genetic predisposition, we suggest getting screened for them as soon as possible. You can also look out for the symptoms of these health concerns, so you know when to call in a specialist.
We hope our discussion on everything low back pain-related can help you find a suitable source of relief. If you have determined that your back pain doesn’t stem from an emergency health problem, we recommend working with our Decatur chiropractor, Dr. Stephanie O’Brien. This way, you can have your spinal bones checked for vertebral subluxation.
It will also help you learn actionable tips to prevent you from experiencing significant low back pain from poor posture practices and previously sustained spinal injuries. Let’s help you jumpstart your journey towards improved back pain management with the help of careful and precise Specific Chiropractic adjustments. Call us at Chiropractic For Everybody at 404-370-8050.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
Having an achy back can be troublesome, especially if your role entails plenty of labor. It could result in extreme discomfort, moodiness, decreased productivity levels and increased susceptibility to accidents and traumatic injuries. Thankfully, you have various ways to keep your spinal column in good shape with the help of proven remedies like chiropractic in Decatur and simple lifestyle adjustments. Find out how you can manage your symptom or back-pain-causing condition in our discussion.
The first and most underrated tip to keeping back pain at bay when you are always busy at work is to assess your risk factors. Find out what specific things might affect your overall health or leave you prone to developing back pain. Here are a few examples:
Do you have relatives with hereditary conditions like lumbar disc disease and ankylosing spondylitis? If yes, you are more likely to develop back pain than the average Joe.
Arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and other conditions can aggravate back pain. It would help to get diagnosed with these diseases or disorders so you know how to care for your body.
As the body ages, the muscles, connective tissues, bones, cartilage, and intervertebral discs also gradually wear down. Unfortunately, this leads to flexibility loss and significant pain and discomfort.
Tobacco and nicotine-containing products impact the quality of your intervertebral discs. So, it would help to eliminate this habit or find a healthier alternative.
Repetitive motion injuries, poor lifting techniques, and excessive muscle strain due to manual labor can affect your spinal column and the tissues attached to them. Poor posture can also compromise the alignment of your vertebral bones.
Another essential but underrated tip to include in your back pain care plan is to trace its root cause. Does it have something to do with a previous injury? Is it related to spinal misalignment or poor posture? It might also result from a potentially dangerous disorder or disease. Below is a short list of the common back-pain-causing problems that physicians, therapists, and doctors of chiropractic in Decatur often encounter:
This can occur due to various things, including dehydration during a long work shift, excessive physical strain, and emotional distress.
Besides aging, the intervertebral discs can break down or rupture because of certain conditions like degenerative disc diseases and disc herniation. Sometimes, work hazards can amplify the impacts of such diseases, leaving you struggling with intense back pain.
Spinal misalignments can result from various things. These include previous accidents, overextension of the neck during a sporting event, and poor sitting or standing posture. When one or more of the spinal bones shift away from the body's central axis, the other spinal bones follow. This can lead to tensed muscles, stiff joints, compressed nerve roots, and impaired brainstem function.
Did you know that about 40 percent of American adults develop sciatica or irritated sciatic nerve? This form of neuropathic pain causes a burning or searing sensation on the hips, buttocks, and lower extremities. When left unresolved, it can also lead to a numbing or tingling sensation and muscle weakness.
As a complex neurological disorder, fibromyalgia tends to cause a myriad of health mishaps. Unfortunately, the symptoms include intense backaches, tender spots all over the body, and heightened pain and pressure sensitivity.
A growing child can cause the spinal bones to shift away from their normal position. The spine has to compensate for the additional weight on the front side of the body, so the muscle tense up, and the bones can sometimes dislodge or fuse with the others.
While backaches are generally harmless, there are instances when patients need to seek emergency care. If you experience any of the signs listed below, we highly recommend calling your doctor or 911 right away:
Because back pain can sometimes worsen during long work hours, it's essential to know a few helpful techniques to relieve your symptoms. Some examples of the things you can do include the following:
Back pain should never take over your life and spoil your happiness. We recommend chiropractic in Decatur, especially if you have grown weary of other remedies or techniques. Your pain and discomfort may stem from postural imbalances along the upper cervical spine. An Upper Cervical doctor can check your spinal bones and see how far they might have shifted because of your underlying health concern or previously sustained injuries.
The adjustments can release pressure buildup in the spinal column, attached muscles, and spinal nerve roots. It can also help you manage risk factors for back pain-causing conditions like sciatica and fibromyalgia. Find out if Upper Cervical chiropractic applies to your situation by contacting us.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
Low back pain is a cause for concern for many Americans. So, it’s not surprising that thousands of people schedule a visit to a doctor, therapist, or low back pain chiropractor in Decatur for help. It can stem from various things ranging from physical overexertion to vertebral subluxation.
When left untreated, it can potentially leave adverse impacts on your life. For example, it can prevent you from attending your family’s weekend barbeque party. Depending on the severity of your back pain, it can also affect your mental and emotional state.
Thankfully, in this blog, you can learn several options to get rid of your low back pain. We have rounded up six of them in our discussion below. Hopefully, they can help you care better for your spine and avoid suffering from extreme back pain.
CDC says up to 25 percent of Americans lead a sedentary life. Sadly, many of these individuals develop mild to intense back pain at one point (or more) in their lives. Evidence shows that physical inactivity causes the skeletal muscles to undergo adaptive reductive remodeling, which changes the muscle fiber composition and increases risks for muscle mass loss.
On top of that, a sedentary lifestyle can impact your nervous and circulatory systems. Prolonged sitting puts excessive pressure on the spinal column and various tissues surrounding it, like the nerve roots and blood vessels. It also increases the risks of obesity, another factor that can worsen back pain.
Hence, we strongly recommend making a few adjustments to your daily routine. You can start by doing at least 20 minutes of low-impact exercises like walking or jogging. If you tend to work long hours in front of the computer, we suggest taking short breaks to stretch your neck, shoulders, hips, and legs.
Over time, you can do other activities like jogging, swimming, and cycling. You can also increase the time you spend exercising each day.
If you are a smoker, you are more likely to experience back pain than other people around you. Smoking harms the blood vessels that supply your intervertebral discs, the cushioning material that sits between each spinal bone. Additionally, smoking can affect your bone structure, causing you to develop osteoporosis. Studies note that smoking can also increase inflammation and leave your body immunocompromised. It can give your body a hard time healing from an injury.
If possible, you should stop smoking to give your body that chance to heal and feel better. We suggest coordinating with your physician and a support group to manage withdrawal symptoms and find effective ways to unlearn the habit.
Regardless of the severity, back injuries can affect your chances of living pain-free. So, managing your risks for accidents like falling, tripping, or slipping would be wise. Here are a few helpful reminders:
Since back pain is a prevalent health issue, you might find it helpful to get in touch with your physician. This is especially important if your back pain doesn’t improve. Doing so will help you identify what specific condition may be causing your pain. Some of the usual diagnoses of doctors include the following:
The sooner you get diagnosed, the better you can manage the pain you experience. It will also limit your risks for further damage or injuries. Besides visiting a physician or an orthopedic doctor, you might also find it helpful to seek a low back pain chiropractor in Decatur. That’s because you might have a vertebral subluxation, a posture problem that affects your spine’s curvature.
Your body posture affects beyond your confidence or self-perception. Studies explain that it can impact your spinal alignment and affect your chances of developing vertebral subluxation.
Sadly, most people nowadays are prone to developing posture-related problems. Some of the common factors that contribute to this issue include:
Previously sustained neck and back injuries can also contribute to postural problems that trigger chronic pain. Hence, it makes sense to seek a low back pain chiropractor in Decatur to check if your spinal bones are still in their proper places.
It can be worrisome to experience chronic back pain. So, we hope you heed our advice and follow the tips we shared above. Please don’t hesitate to contact our low back pain chiropractor in Decatur, Dr. Stephanie O’Brien. This way, you can determine if you have misaligned vertebral bones and if you need to receive Specific Chiropractic adjustments.
Dr. Stephanie practices tried and tested Specific Chiropractic care techniques to detect, measure, and correct postural imbalances. The careful adjustments she applies to the misaligned spinal bones also remove the pressure on pinched tissues like muscles and even the sciatic nerve. Over time, as the spinal bones return to their former alignment, you will experience chronic low back pain experience significant improvements in your symptoms.
Visit Chiropractic For Everybody in Decatur, Georgia, for a consultation. You may also call us at (404) 370-8050 or send your questions or concerns online.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.
