Back pain is a common complaint people have when they seek chiropractic treatment. There can be many reasons for the soreness, and pain will often vary in intensity, typically determined by the underlying cause. It is imperative to have the problem diagnosed early, as receiving proper treatment is imperative when addressing this type of difficulty. Back pain is broken up into two categories: lower back pain and upper back pain.

Lower Back Pain

Lower back Pain takes place anywhere from below your ribs to above your legs. Symptoms of low back pain can vary depending on the case, but often times one will experience sharp pains, gradual or sudden pain, along with muscle spasms or stiffness, etc. Low back pain is usually caused from previous injury, muscle strain, and aging.

Upper Back Pain

Upper Back Pain is less common than lower back pain, but is believed to be just as painful. Some symptoms of upper back pain include, but are not limited to persistent aching or stiffness from your neck, down to above your ribs, chronic ache – especially after sitting or standing for a while, etc. Upper back pain causes vary from sports injuries, people leading sedentary lifestyles, arthritis, and much more.

In some cases, a backache may be as simple as a pulled or strained muscle. Yet, even seemingly innocuous reasons could have more serious origins, such as misalignment of the SI joint or vertebrae. When situations such as these take place, it throws the surrounding muscles into spasms.

Chronic conditions like certain types of arthritis or degenerative disc/joint disease, which can cause herniated or bulging discs, are other possible explanations for aches in the back region. In addition, different parts of the body might also be responsible. For example, a distressed hip or thigh muscle could radiate pain to the back.

Because of the many causes of back pain, Dr. Cao believes it is extremely important to treat the muscles, joints and bones in their entirety, as one issue can greatly impact another. Pain medication merely masks the symptoms and may tax the liver and kidneys, so why not treat naturally?

Chiropractic and massage therapy can alleviate the symptoms of lower back pain and help you be pain-free!