Experiencing back pain? Muscle tension or joint stiffness? Tingling or burning sensation travelling down the back of your legs (sciatica)? Weakness in the legs or feet? Low back pain can present with a spectrum of symptoms.
Welcome to Prairie Spine and Sports Chiropractor Regina!
If you are experiencing back pain you came to the right place.
Trust the experts. We have your back!
How common is back pain?
Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide.1 According to Statistics Canada, 4 out of every 5 adults will experience at least one episode of back pain at some point in their lifetime. Once you experience back pain, there is a likelihood of recurrence and a potential that it can become chronic (persisting >12 weeks). Recurrence of low back pain is very common, 2 out of every 3 people will experience a recurrence within 12 months after recovery.2 Prognostic factors for recurrence include having more than 2 previous episodes, longer time spent sitting, and exposure to an awkward posture.2
Causes
Risk factors for low back pain include age, occupation (exposure to lifting), excess weight, physical activity/lifestyle (lack of exercise), and smoking. The majority of low back pain (90-95%) are non-specific in nature. Non-specific low back pain refers to low back pain not attributed to a recognizable, known specific pathology (ie. infection, inflammatory disorder, osteoporosis, spine fracture, tumour, radicular syndrome, or cauda equina syndrome).3 However, 1-10% of cases are due to these more serious or specific causes of low back pain.
Conditions
The most common low back conditions include: low back sprain/strain or spasm, lumbar facet joint irritation, herniated (slipped or bulging) disc, lumbar radiculopathy (nerve root irritation), piriformis syndrome (peripheral nerve irritation), degenerative disc and joint disease (osteoarthritis), and spinal stenosis. Several of these conditions can present with symptoms of “sciatica”.
Diagnosis
Our chiropractor is a spine care expert. Chiropractors are currently positioned as a leader in the management of joint, muscles, and nerve-related conditions. Our chiropractor will take a history of your concern and perform a thorough assessment that will include orthopedic and neurologic testing. If deemed necessary, our chiropractor will be able to request x-rays and ultrasound or refer you to a specialist for consultation and further investigation (ie. CT or MRI).
Treatment
The majority of low back conditions can be treated conservatively. An overwhelming amount of research supports the evidence that a multimodal approach to managing low back pain has proven to be the most effective method at treating low back pain.
Our chiropractor provides conservative, patient centred, and effective treatments for low back pain. Receive complete care from our chiropractor who will restore function and relieve pain by performing adjustments (precise and highly skilled hands on movements to correct the spine), joint mobilization, massage, exercise prescription, and education. Additionally, our chiropractor also focuses on measures to prevent back pain from returning.
Alternatives such as medications can be discussed and prescribed by a physician. Other invasive treatments such as injections and surgery should be considered as a last resort.
Have your condition appropriately assessed, diagnosed, and properly managed by our Regina chiropractor to get you BACK to health!
Author
Dr. Michael Truong
Chiropractor Regina
References
- Fatoye F, Gebrye T, Odeyemi I. Real-World incidence and prevalence of low back pain using routinely collected data. Rheumatol Int 2019;39:619–26.
- da Silva T, Mills K, Brown BT, et al. Recurrence of low back pain is common: a prospective inception cohort study. J Physiother. 2019;65(3):159-165.
- Balague F, Mannion AF, Pellise F et al. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet 2012;379:482–91.
