Cause of Lower Back Pain: Strain
July 18, 2008The second most common cause of lower back pain is strain. A strain is technically an over stretching or over stressing of a muscle.
Back pain due to strains occur due to either:
- Chronic postural stress
- Trauma or over exertion
Lower Back Pain from Postural Strain
This is an ever-increasing problem in the US. AS our economy switches from a manufacturing and agricultural based economy and move more and more of our work force into information, technology and service industries, lower backs are suffering.
Sitting for prolonged periods of time puts a tremendous load on the lower spine. Gravitational forces are not allowed to dissipate through the back and into the legs as in standing, which creates muscle tension and increased disc pressure.
Postural strain can also come from other common daily activities such as housework, sitting in the classroom, and non-desk occupations that demand awkward body positioning like dentistry, hair cutting, cashiering, etc.
Low Back Pain from Traumatic Strain
These are the more obvious strains. Recreational sports, work injuries, automobile collisions, etc all over stretch the muscles of the lower back resulting in pain.
The pain caused by postural back strain is usually characterized as an ache within the muscles of the lower back. Traumatic strains may be described as an ache, but become sharp, stabbing or cramping on movement. Back strains commonly occur along side subluxations because the strain results in increased muscle tension, which locks up the spinal joints.
Diagnosing back pain from strain is straight forward as there is usually a history of recent trauma or postural stress. A physical examination by a competent doctor of chiropractic along with standard lumbar x-rays to rule out underlying problems like disc disease, arthritis, anatomic short leg, and others is your best bet to uncover the cause and severity of the back strain.
Chiropractic treatment of mild back strains is short, about 1-2 weeks. More severe strains or chronic postural strain can take longer to unravel. Upwards of 8 weeks may be required to quell the pain and stabilize the spine.
[...] Cause of Lower Back Pain: Strain « CureForLowerBackPain [...]