"Your Options for Treating Back Pain"

 To be human is to have a sore back. By the time we reach age 50, 9 out of 10 of us will have experienced back pain, the leading cause of disability in people under 45. Doctors prescribe everything from medication, chiropractic, and surgery to bring us relief, and as a society, we spend the same amount of money trying to cure back pain as we do cancer. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably desperate for your own fix. Here’s our guide to what may be causing your problem and how to stop it.

 Top 3 Causes of Back Pain

Internal disc derrangement:  You usually will feel this type of problem occur after lifting/twisting with your low back.  It can occur in your neck as well.  You will have strong spasms in your back to act as protection against you moving wrong.  Due to the spasms you'll also look crooked in the mirror.  

Facet syndrome:  In between each of your back joints is a meniscoid (like the meniscus of your knee except much smaller) that can become dislodged and get pinched if you move wrong.   This will cause a sharp pain in your back as you bend backwards. 

Sciatic pain:  This can be due to either direct nerve root involvement from a disc bulge in the low back, but I have found it is more directly related to the nerve "sticking" with adhesions to the deep muscles in the buttocks.   You know you have this problem if you have tension in your calf muscles when you bend forward from the waist when you touch your toes. 

What Can Be Done

You might be surprised to learn that back surgery is the treatment of last resort. Because the structure of the spinal column is so intricate and the nerves running through it so numerous, back surgery is a risky procedure that only works about 50% of the time. Most experts recommend exhausting other approaches, which are 90% successful in reducing pain, before going under the knife.

The order or approach to properly treat any back problem or musculoskeletal condition is as follows:

1.  Restore proper range of motion to the joint(s).  This is done through adjustments and breaking down scar tissue in the right regions of the body.

2.  Restore local strength to any weak areas of the body. 

3.  Restore global strength through compound exercises.

4.  Do proprioceptive exercises to affected region if needed.

Unfortunately many practitioners skip step one and do steps 2, 3, or 4. Have you ever tried stretching or strengthening a muscle because you thought it was weak and didn't get any results?   It's because step 1 was missed! 

Example:  I had a young female patient in the other day who said she could not stretch out her right hamsting.   She didn't have any pain in the leg and said she's had a "tight" hamstring for years.   I did an evaluation and found her sciatic nerve had scar tissue around it causing her hamstring to feel tight.   I cleared out the scar tissue and had her retest the stretch she usually does and she said she felt 75% "looser" compared to before the treatment.   She was happy yet frustrated because she wasted so much time trying to stretch the hamstring without any results.   

Chiropractic:  Adjustment performed to areas where the joints are restricted help free up the movement of the spine and restore the biomechanics of the joint (how the joint should normally move).

Soft Tissue/Scar Tissue Work: Dr. Bryan Dingsor specializes in two types of scar tissue work (Active Release Techniques and SASTM).   Both work to reduce the amount of scar tissue in and around muscles, ligaments, and tendons.  

Strengthen your stomach so that it can help your back muscles do their work and decrease the pressure on your spine. Try our core exercises to help reduce your back pain. 

Foam Rolling:  This method entails working out the trigger points and improving the tissue quality of the muscles in your entire body.  I personally use it before every workout.   Go here to watch the videos. 

Try medication Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and/or prescription muscle relaxants can bring down inflammation in the back and quiet spasms, decreasing pain, BUT they only cover up the pain and may allow you to create more damage to your spine as the pain is covered up.   I only recommend them to help you sleep at night. 

Epidural injections Doctors can deliver powerful anti-inflammatory medication (steroids) directly into the spine, lowering inflammation profoundly and quickly.  Again, it raises the pain threshold and should only be used as needed in some patients. 

 Dr. Bryan Dingsor is the owner of Watertown Chiropractic P.C. in Watertown, SD. He specializes in the treatment of many musculoskeletal conditions and weight loss. For an appointment, please call 605-882-2304 Today.