Injury may occur from acute trauma such as a car accident, sports injuries (most likely causes are soccer injuries) or falls. In many instances it is the result of months or years of accumulated stress from bad back posture, work habits, lack of fitness or faulty body mechanics.The main causes of back pain and back injury can be divided into 3 main areas:
– Spinal Joint Dysfunction
– Disc bulge/herniation
– Muscle complaints.
While chiropractors are mainly focused on joint function disruption we can also help muscle problems. Back pain and back injury does not need any major precipitating event to occur as it can arise from just general every day usage but can also be caused by repetitive actions, sports injuries, car accidents, pregnancy and genetic reasons. The main areas of complaint for lower back pain would be pain in the central or upper lower spine and pain just inside to the buttocks on one or both sides. These areas of pain are usually caused by disturbance of the normal functioning of the lumbar facet joints and the sacro-iliac joints respectively but can also be caused by a bulging or herniation of the lumbar discs.
Tightening of the piriformis and gluteal muscles can also cause disruption of the correct functioning of the sacro-iliac joints and majority of the time you will find both a sacro-iliac joint problem congruent with muscular issues. On occasions you may also experience pins and needles in the leg and/or leg muscle weakness. These symptoms can be related to joint irritation but can also be caused by a disc bulge. In the case of a suspected disc bulge without an MRI scan having been carried out the appropriate referral for diagnostic imaging will be made.
The most common areas of pain in the neck are at the top and base of the neck that can go on to become a “cricked neck” or even headaches and migraines. These symptoms can also cause a decrease in concentration in addition to ear, eyes, and nose and throat conditions. The first reported chiropractic adjustment in 1895 was the restoration of a caretakers hearing on having his upper neck adjusted. The usual causes of the pain come from the lack of correct function of the cervical facet joints and less commonly than in the lower spine a disc herniation.
Pain between the shoulder blades is also common in particular pain described as being under one shoulder blade. This is caused by lack of full joint functioning of the thoracic facet joints and the costo-vertebral joints which are the joints that attach the ribs to the spine. Problems in this area can also contribute to the symptoms of asthma, be caused by repetitive coughing especially during chest infections and poor back posture at work.
The above is a very general overview of the most common causes of back pain but the list is extensive and while some other conditions are covered in other sections of the website it would be impossible to cover everything. So if you have not been able to find your symptoms or condition it does not mean that chiropractic cannot help.
Your treatment plan will always include advice as to how to help yourself through exercises, workplace ergonomics changes, correct sleeping posture and supplements. Without a thorough history and examination it is difficult to advice as to what will help as it obviously depends on the diagnosis as to what exercises are most appropriate.
