Back Pain
Activities that the body is not designed for repeated again and again, can often result in pain.
Some common examples of repetitive activities that can lead to low back pain in everyday life include:
Figures from a recent British Chiropractic Association study showed that approximately 80% of people in Gloucestershire and the South West will suffer with back pain at some stage in their life.
Modern working lifestyles, and also sedentary lifestyles can lead to back pain, stiff joints, and gradual weakening of the muscles supporting the back. It is a case of ‘use it or lose it’ when it comes to your body, therefore, if we don’t keep the back strong and supple it can become ‘sluggish’ and stiff leaving it vulnerable to injury. Getting those stiff joints moving and strengthening up the muscles can make a big difference.
If you have low back pain then applying an ice pack to the region regularly and making sure you keep the joints moving are a couple of simple short-term strategies to help (see “Why I need to Ice?“) before you book in with a Chiropractor at our Gloucester based clinic. We can assess, diagnose, and treat your problem, and you can learn how to best manage it for the long term to help prevent recurrence.
Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain
Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain
Sometimes also referred to as ‘Lumbago’, lower back problems are a particularly common and recurrent problem in many peoples’ lives. Many studies have now shown that with each episode of lower back pain there is a shrinkage in the size of the small deep muscles that support your spine. Once you have had one episode, you can therefore be more likely to have another episode in the future. This can also mean that the longer you have discomfort for, the more vulnerable your back may be.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Symptoms commonly experienced with acute and chronic lower back pain include dull, achy, or sharp pain in and around the lower back region. Associated symptoms may be stiffness, sciatica, buttock / leg pain, muscle spasm, swelling, aching, tightness, tingling, numbness, pins and needles and muscle weakness of the lower limbs.
What to do if you have back pain
Lying on your back with your knees flexed (and supported by a cushion) whilst applying an ice pack to the painful area regularly often helps to calm a problem. It is also important to make sure you keep your back moving lightly by walking when possible for short periods around the house for example (see “Why I need to Ice?“).
Treat the pain…
No matter what is causing your back pain, anyone who visits our clinic will always, above all else, receive a full and thorough assessment. Furthermore, we will give you a clear and honest explanation as to what we believe is causing your pain and what the best course of action is to get things back on track.
Our aim is to get you back to your best as quickly as possible using specific mobilisations, gentle manipulation and a wide variety of soft tissue therapies. Dry needling is also used where appropriate. We will also give you a summary of your initial visit so that you have a record to take home.
Prevent recurrence….
Our clinical team pride themselves on preventative care. We will always prescribe a completely personalised ‘home help’ program to ALL patients who visit the clinic. This is essential to make the best and most long lasting recovery. We aim to put you in control, so we can both achieve the most permanent solution possible. Call the clinic today for an appointment on 01452309372 or to chat with a member of the team.
Back Pain During Pregnancy
Back Pain During Pregnancy
2 out of every 3 pregnant women will suffer lower back and pelvis pain by their 36th week of pregnancy.
During pregnancy the changes in hormones (see Relaxin hormone below) can lead to an increase in laxity of the ligaments and cartilage that support the lower back and pelvis. This, coupled with the added weight of carrying a growing baby, can lead to all sorts of ‘strains and sprains’ of the muscles and joints.
As your baby bump grows, the overall weight of your body (and thus your centre of gravity) is increased towards the front. This often causes the pelvis to tilt forwards, pulling muscle beyond its limit and squashing joints together. This increased pressure placed upon the joints of the lower back and pelvis can cause poor movement and inflammation of the joints… leading to low back pain.
After pregnancy the hormones slowly return to normal. The levels of the hormone ‘Relaxin’ that previously gave the joints and ligaments their stretchiness, drops off 5 months after giving birth. This means that the ligaments begin to return to their normal length and position. The first few months after birth can therefore also render the low back vulnerable to injury from new activities such as lifting baby out of a cot or into a car.
Pregnancy and Back Pain Symptoms
Symptoms of low back pain during pregnancy include discomfort locally, or radiating to and from the lower back and buttocks, instability or ‘clicky’ joints, pubic pain, stiffness, and achey legs. Groin pain and sciatica are also common symptoms.
Applying an ice pack regularly to the back and buttocks, making sure your keep the joint moving, and short walks when possible are just a few simple, basic, and short term strategies to help relieve pain (see “Why I need to Ice?“).
Treat the pain…
No matter what is causing your back pain, anyone who visits our clinic will always, above all else, receive a full and thorough assessment. Furthermore, we will give you a clear and honest explanation as to what we believe is causing your pain and what the best course of action is to get things back on track.
Our aim is to get you back to your best as quickly as possible, using specific mobilisations, gentle manipulation and a wide variety of soft tissue therapies. Dry needling is also used where appropriate. We will also always try to give you a summary of your initial visit so that you have a record to take home.
Prevent Recurrence….
Our clinical team pride themselves on preventative care. We will always prescribe a completely personalised ‘home help’ program to ALL patients who visit the clinic. This is essential to make the best and most long lasting recovery. We aim to put you in control so we can both achieve the most permanent solution possible. Call the clinic today on 01452309372 for an appointment or to chat with a member of the team.
‘Slipped Disc’
‘Slipped Disc’
‘Slipped disc’ is a layman’s term to describe the squashing of a disc’s core outwards. The disc as a whole does not ‘slip’, more its contents do a little bit like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube.
Disc injuries are simple to explain but difficult to recover from if left too long before treatment is sought. The disc in a spine is a large circular ‘lump’ of cartilage (known as the Annulus Fibrosus) with a shock absorbing ‘core’ (known as the Nucleus Pulposus). It sits in between each of the vertebrae and the disc is actually a little bit like a doughnut with a jam core and is designed to be good at shock absorption. However, if you put too much pressure through the disc and squash it beyond its limits, the disc core can push through and herniate into the weakest area of the disc towards the outer edge causing a bulge. A ‘bulging’ disc can be very painful and is often aggravated by prolonged sitting, lifting and long drives.
The longer the disc remains unstable, the more tricky it can become to get right. If the problem does deteriorate it can impinge the nerves in the spine causing tremendous pain, and sometimes in extreme cases it may require surgery.
Treat the pain…
No matter what is causing your back pain, anyone who visits our clinic will always, above all else, receive a full and thorough assessment. Furthermore, we will give a clear and honest explanation as to what we believe is causing your pain and what the best course action is to get things back on the right track.
Our aim is to get you back to your best as quickly as possible using specific mobilisations, gentle manipulation and a wide variety of soft tissue therapies. Dry needling is also used where appropriate. We will also always try to give you a summary of your initial visit so that you have a record to take home.
Prevent recurrence of pain….
Our clinical team pride themselves on preventative care. We will always prescribe a completely personalised ‘home help’ program to ALL patients who visit the clinic. This is essential to make the best and most long lasting recovery. We aim to put you in control, so we can both achieve a permanent solution where possible. Call the clinic today for an appointment or to chat with a member of the team.
Sciatica
Sciatica
…It can be such a pain in the bum… literally! ‘Sciatica’ is the term used to describe any pain that is originating from irritation of the Sciatic Nerve. This pain can be felt anywhere down a leg, from the bottom to the feet.
The Sciatic Nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body, running from your lower back all the way in to your foot, with its thickest part being around 2cm in width. As you can imagine, a lot can happen to that nerve along its route. The Sciatic Nerve originates as individual spinal nerves known as L4,L5,S1,S2 and S3, these nerves exit the spine individually but then converge to create the Sciatic Nerve.
Disc Bulges
The most common cause of Sciatica is what is known as a Disc Bulge. A disc bulge between the vertebrae of L4 and L5 or between the vertebrae of L5 and S1 can lead to ‘Sciatica’.
A disc bulge essentially only affects the nerve at the level at which the bulge is occurring. For example, a backwards and to the side (postero-lateral) Disc Bulge at L5/S1 usually causes pain/tingling/numbness/pins and needles at the sole and outside edge of the foot on the same side as the bulge. This is because the nerve exiting between the spinal segments of L5 and S1 is what is known as the S1 nerve root. The S1 nerve supplies both muscles (a Myotome) and skin sensation (a Dermatome). So as you can see the S1 nerve supplies sensation to the sole and outer edge of the foot which is why pain is felt here.
This applies to all nerves exiting the spine. If one level has a bulge then the skin it supplies may have a change in sensation. The muscles that each affected nerve innervates may also not work correctly or may even begin to decrease in size and become flaccid.
Foraminal Stenosis
The word ‘Foramen’ basically means ‘a hole’, where the L4, L5, S1, S2, S3 nerves leave the spine between each vertebral segment is a hole called the ‘Intervertebral Foramen’. If anything decreases space at this Foramen then Sciatica can occur, problems such as bony spurs, inflammation, a Spondylolisthesis or a Tumor can all cause a decrease in space here and irritate the nerve as it exits. This can therefore be one of the causes that lead to irritation of the Sciatic nerve and the symptoms associated to it.
Piriformis Syndrome
In a nutshell ‘Piriformis Syndrome’ occurs as a result of the Sciatic nerve being irritated by the Piriformis Muscle.
The Sciatic nerve’s relationship with the Piriformis Muscle differs from person to person. Most commonly it passes beneath the Piriformis Muscle, however for some, it can actually pass through the Piriformis Muscle entirely, or even stay split around it and connect after.
The Piriformis is an external rotator of the the leg. If it gets too tight (common in a lot of people) it can become irritated, this leads to inflammation at the muscle and surrounding tissues, which in some cases includes the Sciatic Nerve.
Treat the pain…
No matter what is causing your back pain, anyone who visits our clinic will always, above all else, receive a full and thorough assessment. Furthermore, we will give you a clear and honest explanation as to what we believe is causing your pain and what the best course of action is to get things back on track.
Our aim is to get you back to your best as quickly as possible, using specific mobilisations, gentle manipulation and a wide variety of soft tissue therapies. Dry needling is also used where appropriate. We will also give you a summary of your initial visit so that you have a record to take home.
Prevent recurrence of pain….
Our clinical team pride themselves on preventative care. We will always prescribe a completely personalised ‘home help’ program to ALL patients who visit the clinic. This is essential to make the best and most long lasting recovery. We aim to put you in control, so we can both achieve the most permanent solution possible. Call the clinic today for an appointment on 01452309372 or to chat with a member of the team.
