Low Back Pain 101: Things You Need To Know
About 80% of the population will experience low back pain at some point throughout life (1). Most of these people don’t go seek treatment soon enough, and many don’t seek treatment at all. If you take away anything from this post, please understand that the sooner you seek treatment, the better your outcomes will be. Most low back pain conditions are easily treated conservatively and don’t require surgery.
Why Do I Have Low Back Pain?
Pain becomes suffering when we don’t understand the cause of our pain. Understanding the mechanisms behind pain allows us to rationalize the pain and helps alleviate the intensity of the pain and its impact on our overall health.
Low back pain can be caused by many things. The lumbar spine anatomy is quite complex and there are many structures that can be responsible for the pain you’re feeling. Determining the cause of your specific pain is not something I’m going to do in this post. It requires a thorough physical evaluation and it’s not something that WebMD is going to accurately diagnose for you. My best advice for someone with low back pain is to go get it looked at as soon as possible by a qualified physical therapist. Sure, you can try going straight to your primary care physician first if you’d like. But, I can almost guarantee that they will only spend about 15 minutes with you, prescribe some pain medication or muscle relaxers, and send you to a physical therapist.
Did I “Slip a Disc”?
Please don’t ever use the term, “slipped disc.” You did not slip a disc. Discs can bulge, they can herniate, but they will not just slip out of place without some very significant trauma. Please read more about “slipped discs” here.
Should I get an X-ray or MRI?
In most cases, no you should not. Disc degeneration and other anatomical changes of the lumbar spine are a normal part of the aging process and don’t necessarily indicate pathology. When is it a good time to get an MRI? When it is going to change the course of treatment. Your first step with low back pain should be to go get a full physical evaluation from your physical therapist. From there, if there is indeed an indication for further imaging, your physical therapist will refer you out appropriately. Keep in mind, that although imaging can provide some useful information, it can also be the cause of a misdiagnosis and show certain findings that may be completely unrelated to your pain. Check out this inforgraphic about MRI’s. Pretty interesting stuff. Note: these MRI findings are on people without low back pain! Read more about MRI’s for low back pain here.
Why Early Intervention for Low Back Pain is Key
Why is it important to get your low back pain evaluated early? Chronic low back pain has a huge influence on stress levels, quality of life, and the brain. If you haven’t read my previous post regarding central sensitization, I encourage you to check it out. Essentially, chronic pain can manifest even in the absence of a true tissue injury. This is especially true for low back pain and is quite evident from the recent pain science research.
Getting your pain evaluated right away will help ensure your chance of a quick recovery. Many low back pain conditions are easily treated conservatively, without surgery. In fact, there are very few cases in which I would recommend someone seek surgery for the lumbar spine.
What to do About Your Back Pain Right Now!
If you live in the Tacoma/Seattle area, you can schedule a free consultation with me. I’m happy to discuss your condition and get you on the right track. The purpose of a free consultation is to determine if you are an appropriate candidate for physical therapy. If you already know you want to schedule a physical therapy evaluation, you can do so online here.
For actions you can easily implement today, feel free to read my earlier post on 10 tips to help ease your low back pain.
Please feel free to reach out to me via email, phone, Facebook, Instagram, or just by leaving a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you.
As always, please share this post with friends, family, or anyone you know who might be experiencing low back pain.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us and see how we can help you today!
PhysioStrength Physical Therapy
2909 S. 12th St. Tacoma, WA, 98405
Phone: (253)-722-9788
Fax: (253)-778-6992
cnaccarato@physiostrength.com
References:
- Rubin DI. Epidemiology and risk factors for spine pain. Neurol Clin. 2007;25(2):353–371.