Low back pain affects everyone. Is my pain a pinched nerve or just muscular? What is a pinched nerve? How can a Chiropractor help?
There are many types of low back pain, but what I often hear in our office is, “Is this a pinched nerve or just muscle?”
The first thing we do in our clinic is a detailed history, since typically 80% of the diagnosis is formed here.
Your Nervous System (Nerve system) controls and regulates every aspect of your body, from your movement, muscle tension, blood pressure, etc. When we injure our low back or compress it for hours at a time with long hours at work, those nerves can be irritated and inflamed.
First there is a Structural Shift, also known as a Subluxation. This uneven compression can cause the disc to physically push against the exiting nerve. The pinched nerve can also be chemically irritated with a build up of inflammation as the body tries to heal the injury.
Given time, these joints start to degenerate and can be harder to resolve the longer they linger.
Most cases of pinched nerve occur because of a slipped disc, degenerated disc, or acute injury.
Acute sports injuries, slip and falls, motor vehicle accident, improper lifting and bending mechanics, can often be the trigger that sets off a pinched nerve.
In some cases, the pinched nerve can become irritated by your gluteal nerves, which can create a Piriformis Syndrome.
While most pinched nerves in the low back come from the spine, occasionally the gluteal (one of your butt muscles) can become too tight and restrict the Sciatic nerve exiting out. These patients often feel increased numbness on their back or legs that becomes worse with sitting or running.
As the problem in the case comes from an overly tight muscle, these cases are typically much easier and quicker to resolve in our clinic with Chiropractic Adjustments and simple home exercises for strengthening and stretches the dysfunctional areas.
All of these require different interventions (treatments) in order to make an effective change.
There is no one test to determine all of these different factors. Make sure to get your spine (and butt muscles) checked by one of our highly trained Chiropractors for a specific diagnosis and corrective treatment.
All of these require different interventions (treatments) in order to make an effective change.
There is no one test to determine all of these different factors. Make sure to get your spine (and butt muscles) checked by one of our highly trained Chiropractors for a specific diagnosis and corrective treatment.
After listening intently and asking detailed questions, we follow up with specific physical examination including orthopaedic and neurological testing to determine where specifically and how severe the problem is.
The occasional ache and stiffness in our low back can be just a one-off pain, but most patients who come in with pinched nerves have had a history of on/off ache for years! Chiropractic works incredibly well for BOTH pinched nerve and muscle pain.
It’s important to get yourself checked if you are having any of these symptoms, or if you suspect something doesn’t “feel right” in your body.
admin
