hover background

Oct 29
2014

Get the Down Low on Lower Back Pain

If you have lower back pain, you aren’t alone. Affecting one in every ten people, lower back pain is one of the most common orthopedic health conditions today.

What Causes Lower Back Pain?

There are many different causes of lower back pain. A specific movement, like lifting or bending, or simply age itself, can cause lower back pain. Other causes of lower back pain may include any or several of the following:

• Overuse or strenuous activity
• Injury, trauma or fracture
• Degeneration of the vertebrae
• Infection
• Obesity—caused by increased weight on the spine and pressure on the discs
• Muscle tension or spasm
• Poor muscle tone in the back
• Strain or sprain
• Ligament or muscle tears
• Joint problems
• Diseases—such as osteoarthritis, spondylitis or compression fractures
• Smoking—both the smoke and the nicotine can cause your spine to age faster than normal

Can I Prevent Lower Back Pain?

Try the following to help prevent your lower back pain:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Practice correct lifting techniques—always lift heavy items with your legs, not your back. Don’t bend over to pick something up—keep your back straight and bend at your knees
• Practice proper posture when sitting, standing and sleeping
• Exercise regularly—combine aerobic exercises with specific exercises to keep your back muscles and abdomen strong and flexible
• Always stretch before and after any activities
• Practice relaxation techniques and reduce emotional stress which may cause muscle tension

Is There Help for Lower Back Pain?

Above & Beyond Physical Therapy offers a variety of physical therapy services to treat your lower back pain. Not all lower back pain is the same, so your treatment should be tailored to your specific symptoms and condition. Our physical therapists offer a complimentary screening to identify the factors contributing to your specific back problem and will design an individualized treatment plan for you.

Treatments may include:

• Ice or heat treatments to help relieve pain
• Education about how to take better care of your back
• Manual therapy, including spinal manipulation to improve the range of motion of the joints and soft tissues
• Strengthening and flexibility exercises
• Activity modification
• Assistance with weight loss if overweight
• Medication

For more tips like these, LIKE us on Facebook!

Suffering from back pain? Schedule an appointment with us today!