Comments on: What causes back pain?

By: Marc Croker

Marc Croker — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:16:30 +0000

Hi Rachael,
While you are acute the best thing to do is to apply the ice for up to 10 minutes at a time to alleviate the pain and to help reduce the inflammation present. I would then highly recommend some chiropractic treatment to restore normal movement to your back and to encourage the inflammation process to fully disperse. Chiropractic is completely safe while you are pregnant and can be used at any stage of your pregnancy. As the pain is referring from the back into the left buttock you will probably need some massage and stretching in conjunction with chiropractic manipulation of your lumbar spine.

By: Rachael B

Rachael B — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:21:27 +0000

Hi Mark
I am 23 weeks pregnant and have been advised that i have an inflamed back disc. Currently using ice to try and help with pain. I’m struggling to find a good position to rest in during the day and night. Please could you advise? The pain is radiating from my lower left side of my back into my left buttock. Thanks

By: Marc Croker

Marc Croker — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:31:52 +0000

Hi Cherree,
Let me start my saying that pain is a very individual experience – everyone experiences pain differently. It is therefore important to discover the source of your pain by identifying which structures in your body are inflamed. This can only be done by a thorough physical examination that would identify which joints are inflamed, which muscles are tight and sore, and which tendons are inflamed. It is then important to discover why these structures are becoming sore towards the end of the day and feeling better after a good nights rest. One of the most common causes of back pain and difficulty walking by the end of the day is a leg length inequality. If there is structural asymmetry in your legs and pelvis and you are standing all day then it is inevitable that you will get pain as the day progresses. This will usually settle overnight as the asymmetry wont be influenced by gravity and the inflammation will have a chance to subside. A leg length inequality will also cause a compensatory scoliosis throughout the spine which will tend to cause neck and shoulder pains as well, and may even give you headaches. My advice would be to have a chiropractor assess you for structural skeletal asymmetry followed by a thorough muscle and joint assessment.

By: Cherree

Cherree — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:34:56 +0000

Good evening Marc,

I have been experiencing muscular and tendon pain that gets increasingly worse at night, almost to the point of being really difficult to walk and or lift my left arm or just feel comfortable with any movement. It is very frustrating as I am having difficultly also with researching information on this kind of soreness. I go to bed sore and wake up feeling reasonably better, then as the evening progresses the soreness sets in again. My work requires me to be standing for long periods of time, often without breaks. Have you heard of anything like this before? Do you think it could be related to a back problem? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

By: Marc Croker

Marc Croker — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:24:49 +0000

Hi Lucy. Lower back pain is very common and there are so many things that can cause your lower back to be sore. The lumbar spine is an area of your body that endures lots of stress and strain. Eventually most people will feel some spinal pain at some point of there lives and age has little to do with it. My professional recommendation is to have your spine, your posture and your lifestyle habits assessed by a qualified professional and consider having some regular chiropractic to get your body pain free and also to prevent a recurrence of your symptoms.

By: lucy

lucy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:54:59 +0000

hi there , i dont know how long i have suffered from back ache now but it seems to occur alot more often lately. i get bad lower back mainly most mornings and i sleep on my side, only sometimes on my tummy . i have changed my matress quite a few times over the years and dont find that they make a difference. the pain does go away shortly after waking up. i also get the same pain when being in a car for about an hour even though i do sit upright. i thought that as im not working now it would get better but is still ongoing . im a bit concerned as being only 19 years old and would like a bit of advise if possible. thanks

By: Marc Croker

Marc Croker — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:14:19 +0000

Hi Shawn. Feeling pain in the morning either in bed or just after you get out of bed is very common. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly inflammation and swelling tend to increase during the night as your body uses this time for healing, and without the pressure of gravity or movement through the spine, more swelling can get to the tissues of your back than during the day time. Secondly long periods of inactivity tend to cause people to become stiff and uncomfortable…your body needs to keep moving. For both of these reasons people often feel pain first thing in the morning and once you get weight bearing and mobile the inflammation and swelling subsides and the pain eases off.
You mentioned that your doctor said that you have a bulging disc and early signs of arthritis. Both of these conditions are causes of recurring pain. Little will be achieved using electrical stimulation to increase the mobility of the lumbar spine. Chiropractic manipulation is more effective at restoring normal movement patterns to the joints of the spine and hence a more lasting reduction in your symptoms.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:47:32 +0000

I recently tweaked my back about two and one half weeks ago. About five years ago I messed up my back really bad and actually had laser surgery on my facet joints, in my lower back. My doctor said I also had a bulging disc and early signs of arthritis but also stated lots of people do with no pain. I have been for the most part pain free since my surgery. I was not able to get into my doctor for a few days and it sounds weird but the morning I went in I was feeling better. I still was sore and stiff but I was able to get out of bed with little pain. I have been getting treatment for the past couple of weeks and when I wake up in the morning my back is really stiff and sore. Once I get up I sit down for a few minutes and I feel a lot better. I have started sleeping on my side, used to only sleep on my stomach. It is frustrating because I have been getting treatment and I feel better as the day goes on but why am I still sore in the morning? Is it muscle inflammation that has not gone down, is it my disc, what? My treatment is being hooked up to a machine that sends electrical stimulus through my lower back. Again, I am only stiff and sore first thing in the am and once I sit down and then move around I feel no to little pain the rest of the day.

By: Marc Croker

Marc Croker — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:40:37 +0000

One of the most difficult things for your spine to endure is sitting for long periods. Slouching offers the least resistance to gravity and expends the least amount of energy but the trade off is that your normal lumbar lordosis (spinal curve) reverses. This essentially strains the facet joints, and the lower lumbar discs resulting in an inflammatory process and pain. The most effective way of returning normal movement to your spine is chiropractic manipulation. The best way of preventing this from returning in the future is to sit with your knees lower than your hips and do what you can to avoid slouching.

By: Blanchery

Blanchery — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:48:05 +0000

I started to felt back waist pain around 2 months ago. Previously i had been facing alot of computer for doing assignments, watching movies, i admit that i have a non proper sitting position. i hunched. Now my back waist starts to felt hurt when i bend down, like collecting my something. I also felt pain when im just sitting down on my chair. I felt relieve when i lay on the bed. Can i know what is ur opinion that happened to my waist.thanksss