Lower back pain
Lower back pain is quite common and affects millions of people. It can be caused by abnormalities in your spine, muscles, joints, or the nerves of your lower back.
In many cases, lower back pain will ease over time, however Osteopathy can help to relieve the pain and discomfort.
Symptoms of lower back pain
While experiencing lower back pain, it can become difficult to go about your usual daily routine without feelings of discomfort. Therefore, look out for these symptoms so you know what you need to do next to find pain relief:
- Pain felt in your lower back
- Pain feeling worse when coughing
- Muscles feeling tight or stiff
- Difficulty in moving your body in different directions
- Numbness felt in your lower back, leg, and foot
- Pain felt when standing or bending
- Pain after activities, quick movements, or heavy lifting
- Pain radiating down your leg/s, groin, buttock, or upper thigh
- Tingling feeling in your legs or back
- Soreness when touched in area of pain
- Difficulty sleeping due to pain when rolling over
- Pain which feels worse at the beginning and end of the day
5 common causes of back pain:
Most back pain is non-specific, meaning there is no obvious cause. However, there are five main categories which are the common roots of back pain.
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Pulled muscles or tendons:
Strain on the muscles can stretch the tendons and lead to pain and tension in the lower back. This can be the result of heavy lifting and strenuous activity.
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Inflammation:
Inflammation in the lower back area can cause a great deal of pain. Improving your posture and avoiding sitting for long periods of time can help reduce the inflammation. For more information, read our blog post ‘Posture When Working at a Desk’.
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Back pain caused by stress:
When you are stressed, cortisol and adrenaline are resealed by the body. These hormones typically cause involuntary tightening of the muscles. This can result in muscle tension through the body, often occurring in the lower back region.
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Arthritis and back pain
Arthritis is a structural and medical problem which can lead to lower back pain. Osteoarthritis can cause tension though the joints, hips, and lower back. It can be very painful but there are ways that Osteopathy can help to treat and relieve this pain.
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Disc injury and back pain:
Those who have problems with their spinal discs often experience sensations of pain and numbness in their body, Disc injuries can occur due to a lack of regular exercise or bad posture.
How Osteopathy Can Help
Osteopathy is built on the philosophy that your body functions more efficiently when it is correctly aligned. Through muscle manipulation, stretching, and massaging, an osteopath can help identify the source of pain and offer pain relief, reduced swelling, and improved mobility.
Osteopathic treatment is safe for people of all ages and is painless. For more information, please call 0121 705 4499 or email info@solihullosteopathicpractice.co.uk.