Lower Back Pain
The lower back is an area of stability for the body, where our spine achieves most of its forward and backward movement. Apart form the delicate nerve structures, the lower back is surrounding by strong stabilizing muscles which act upon it to maintain strength during our daily activities.
Lower back pain causes disability for between 79-90% of Australians at some point in their lives. 10% of these will suffer severe disability as a result. Lower back pain injuries can occur by bending, lifting, twisting or from fast uncontrolled movements.
Lower back pain treatment varies according to the type of structure injured, and the extent of the injury. A complete neurological and orthopaedic exam is required to rule out more severe cases such as disc injuries or fractures.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
- Lifting incorrectly
- Twisting movements
- Poor Core Strength
- Sports impact injuries
- Overuse or overloading injuries
Common symptoms experienced with Lower Back Pain
- Sharp pain with movement
- Pain radiating down the legs/Sciatica
- Lack of movement in lower back
- Muscles spasm in the lower back
- Pain when bending forward
Common conditions causing Lower Back Pain
- Facet joint sprain
- Disc injury
- muscle strain
- Sacro-iliac joint injury
- Piriformis syndrome
How lower back pain affects your lifestyle
- Bending forward to tie shoes is painful
- lifting any objects becomes difficult
- Unable to sleep at night due to pain
- weakness in the legs
- feeling unstable when walking
