Sciatica Treatment
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March 7, 2022
Lower Back Pain in North Finchley?
You’ve come to the right place! People of North Finchley, Lower back pain, also known as ‘lumbargo,’ is a general term for pain experienced in the area from the hips up to the ribcage and can extend past both in certain cases.
Anatomy:
The lower part of the spine is called the lumbosacral region. There are 5 lumbar vertebrae, connecting to the thoracic spine above (where your ribcage is) and the sacrum (a pelvic bone) below. There are loads of ligaments between each vertebrae, preventing excessive movement and giving your spine incredible strength. There are also plenty of muscles running upwards, either side of the spine, to support you and give you strength and movement.
Intervertebral discs lie in between each vertebrae, which absorb shock and allow us to move, and on either side at the back, little facet joints support the discs. These structures are incredibly strong, robust and provide us with support and movement. Nerves leave the spinal cord in between vertebrae and supply the lower spine, pelvis, genitalia and thighs/legs/feet with control and sensation.
Who gets lower back pain?
Lower back pain (LBP) is present in people of all ages, from children and adolescents to the elderly, but is most commonly seen for the first time in the 20-60 age group. It’s currently estimated that over 80% of the population will experience lower back pain at some point in their life, with varying duration and severity. Unfortunately, suffering from acute (sudden/recent onset) once seems to increase the likelihood of reoccurrence. LBP is one of the most common health conditions worldwide, and accounts for more than 150 million missed days of work/school a year in the U.S. alone, and costs between 100-200 billion American dollars, annually (Freburger et al., 2009). Therefore, it isn’t just bad for the sufferer, there are significant socioeconomic factors and implications to consider (Fatoye, Gebrye & Odeyemi, 2019).
What causes lower back pain?
LBP is actually rarely indicative of serious health conditions. Unless you have ‘red flags,’ which osteopaths are trained to recognise, it’s highly unlikely that LBP is an indicator of something serious.
Risk factors
Age, family history, poor diet, lifestyle, beliefs, obesity, inactivity, occupational hazards and pregnancy are all things that CAN contribute to Lower Back Pain. That’s not to say these things mean you will suffer from lumbargo, they’re just contributing factors. The evidence is ever-changing and our understanding of this condition is always improving.
Injury/trauma
Sometimes, I find this is the easiest cause of Lower Back Pain in North Finchley to diagnose. If you’ve suffered from a road traffic collision, sports injury or sudden pain, sometimes this means something in the area has suffered a sprain, strain or other minor physiological issue. However, don’t fret, as even these are usually manageable and treatable!
Non-specific lower back pain
This is a controversial yet realistic and useful phrase. Non-specific lower back pain (NSLBP) basically means all serious causes of LBP have been ruled out, there is nothing life-threatening or medically worrying going on, and a lot of the main causes of Lower Back Pain aren’t occurring. For example, a desk-based worker who has gradually experienced an increase of back pain for no known reason, or a dental hygienist who spends most of their day bent over a patient. No trauma, no red flags, and nothing jumps out upon physical examination. However, the pain is very real! Non-specific lower back pain is completely safe to treat and is nothing to worry about. It’s actually GOOD news if you receive a diagnosis of non-specific pain as it means it will get better! Treatments like manual therapy, lifestyle advice and rehabilitation can help hugely.
Underlying medical conditions
I’m not going to list all of the medical conditions that LBP CAN be a sign or symptoms of, because you’ll be here all day and I’m sure you have better things to do. The point I’m making is that unless you feel unwell or have other serious symptoms, LBP is rarely a sign of something more serious like cancer or a congenital disease. It CAN happen, yes, but if you pop down to your local osteopath with any of these worries, you’ll have your mind put at ease!
Diagnosis
The diagnosis for Lower Back Pain is key. A thorough case history will help rule out red flags and serious causes, then the physical and medical assessment will give a really good idea of what’s going on. If the pain is of traumatic origin, then you may receive a specific diagnosis such as “disc herniation” or “muscle spasm,” if your pain is insidious (came on gradually) or chronic (long-lasting) the diagnosis often simply eliminates the main causes and states your pain is non-specific. If you have referral elsewhere, or widespread pain, this will also be discussed in the diagnosis. If you require further investigation, we’ll write you a letter to your doctor or wherever you need to go, to help with the diagnosis when it’s outside of our remit. Our Osteopath at Move Easy has links with a local private MRI scan provider for when North Finchley Lower Back Pain may require further investigation.
Treatment
OK so let’s assume it’s been decided that the cause of your Lower Back Pain is not serious. If there are any structures that are DEFINITELY causing the pain, our treatment and management will be specific to that cause and tailored to your body. If it’s difficult to say what’s going on, we’ll get you moving by looking holistically, finding range of motion restrictions, weaknesses, trigger points, and reassuring you.
Reassurance, giving you a reason and answering your questions is the most important thing. Manual therapy (massage, mobilisation, manipulation) can really help initially, and giving you lifestyle advice and exercises tailored to you will get you Movin’ Easy in no time.
I’m going to write a series of these blogs on more causes, diagnoses and treatments. So keep your eyes peeled!
Please reach out via e-mail, message or WhatsApp if you have any questions about anything written in this blog!
References
Fatoye, F., Gebrye, T., & Odeyemi, I. (2019). Real-world incidence and prevalence of low back pain using routinely collected data. Rheumatology International, 39(4), 619-626. doi: 10.1007/s00296-019-04273-0
Freburger, J. K., Holmes, G. M., Agans, R. P., Jackman, A. M., Darter, J. D., Wallace, A. S., Castel, L. D., Kalsbeek, W. D., & Carey, T. S. (2009). The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain. Archives of internal medicine, 169(3), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543
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