As the seasons change toward warmer weather, it is inevitable, we start to see an increase in lower back injuries due to new activities such as yardwork and spring cleaning.
But what if I told you your lowback pain wasn’t coming from your lowback? There are actually two different areas that cause most of the lowback pain we see today.
The first area is what is commonly referred to as your lowback. It is the lumbar spine, which is the area from the bottom of your ribcage to the top of tailbone. Pain in this area can start for many different reasons due to the complex nature and the shear amount of different muscles, ligaments and joints involved in the structure and movement of your body’s core. What you feel can range from a dull ache to a stabbing or shooting sensation. You may have shooting pain or numbness, not be able to move or stand up straight. Sudden back pain comes on, often after an injury from sports or heavy lifting and any pain and can be very serious. Any pain that lasts more than three months is considered chronic and needs to be treated to prevent long term damage.
The second area, and the one that can be an underlying cause to your lumbar back pain, is your sacroiliac joint or SI joints. There are two of them in your lower back, they sit on each side of your spine and connect the three bones of your pelvis. Their main job is to carry the weight of your upper body when you stand or walk and shift that load to your legs.
The pain could be a dull or sharp. It starts at your SI joint, but it can move to your glutes, thighs, or upper back. Often standing from a seated position triggers the pain, and a lot of times you feel it only on one side of your lower back. You may notice that it bothers you more in the morning and gets better during the day. Right now it is said to cause about 15%-30% of lowback pain cases, but in my experience that number is way too low.
The causes can range from pregnancy, sports, a fall or from an activity that causes repetitive stress. Like jogging or even sitting for long periods of time repeatedly. These activities cause injury to the ligaments that hold your SI joint together, which may lead to pain and compensation through the spine from your lowback to your neck. This compensation creates areas of higher stress through the body which can lead to injury including muscle strain and spinal disc injury.
Now the doctors here at Strelcheck Chiropractic practice a rare and specific technique to deal with the SI joint issue called SOT. SOT offers very specific treatment protocols that are important for pelvic (SI) stabilization, and is extremely effective. It reduces not only the back pain but the compensations that occur through the body because of it. Leading to a healthy and pain free you.
Whatever the reason for your low back pain, we can and will get to the bottom of it to restore you to good health!
