I just got back from vacation on a sailing cruise and while I was relaxing I also coiled rope, raised sails and tied knots resulting in back pain. Why? The lower back has a lot more motion than the thoracic spine and also carries all the weight of the torso, making it the most frequently injured area of the spine.
One cause of low back pain has to do with the ability of the spine to move. The motion in the lumbar spine is divided between five motion segments, although a disproportionate amount of the motion is in the lower segments (L3-L4 and L4-L5). Consequently, these two segments are the most likely to breakdown from wear and tear (e.g. osteoarthritis). The two lowest discs (L4-L5 and L5-S1) take the most strain and are the most likely to herniate. This can cause lower back pain and possibly numbness that radiates through the leg and down to the foot (sciatica).
The vast majority of episodes of lower back pain are caused by muscle strain. Even though a muscle strain doesn’t sound like a serious injury, trauma to the muscles and other soft tissues (ligaments, tendons) in the lower back can cause severe and debilitating back pain. The good news is that soft tissues have a good blood supply, which brings nutrients to the injured area, facilitates the healing process and often provides effective relief of the back pain.
Below the lumbar spine is a bone called the sacrum, which makes up the back part of the pelvis. This bone is shaped like a triangle that fits between the two halves of the pelvis, connecting the spine to the lower half of the body.
The sacrum is connected to part of the pelvis (the iliac bones) by the sacroiliac joints. Pain in the sacrum is often called sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and is more common in women than men. The coccyx—or the tailbone—is in the sacral region at the very bottom of the spine. Tailbone pain is called coccydynia, which is more common in women than men.
Many of the causes of back pain are treatable with conservative methods including Chiropractic. care. If you would like to know more about how I treat back pain go to our website at www.southingtonchiropractor.com.
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