Back Pain Management

back painThere are five common causes of low back pain with or without leg pain. It is, therefore, not reasonable to expect everyone with low back pain to benefit from any sin­gle treatment approach. Each cause requires a different therapy. The wrong treatment for any of the following conditions is virtually useless and may prolong pain and disability. For example, over 50% of painful low back syndromes with or without leg pain are due to posterior facet joint or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Both of these syndromes respond beautifully to chiropractic spinal manipulation and respond poorly, if at all, to all other types of care. A portion of the remaining causes of low back +/- leg pain are due to trigger points in the lumbar and buttock muscles. A combination of soft tissue therapies including: western acupuncture, Graston technique, ultrasound and massage are the treatments of choice for chronic myofascial trigger points. Low back +/- leg pain due to derangement of the lumbar discs responds best to specific stretches. Low back +/- leg pain due to lumbar instability requires the diligent completion of approximately 3 months of lumbar core stability exercises. Some patients present with more than one of the above syndromes and require a combination of therapies in order to obtain long term correction.

It generally takes the skill of a highly trained chiropractor, 5 – 6 years of University, to diagnose and effectively treat all these different conditions. If your health care practitioner is skilled in only one or two of the above therapies their success rate will be lower and you may be wasting your time and money and not getting the care you need. Dr. Patrick Shwaluk is highly skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of all the above causes of low back +/- leg pain conditions. He also knows when to refer you to other practitioners if required.

Remember, these conditions do not get completely better by themselves. Trigger points in tight muscles can persist for decades and will cause recurring episodes of back pain. Weak and uncoordinated muscles need to be trained to gain more spinal stability. Pressure in the discs needs to be decompressed. Tight joints need to be manipulated. Without appropriate care low back pain becomes chronic. Chronic low back pain has become the number one cause of disability in Australia and yet it is the most manageable of disabling conditions, if treated appropriately.