How to RELIEVE lower back pain- expert insights by Dr Chris

As a professional chiropractor I spend  a lot of my time helping people with lower back pain. Over my career I have diagnosed and successfully treated thousands of people. Low back pain in Australia has a daily prevalence of 28% in adults on any given day and about 79% of people experience low back pain throughout their life. Given the statistics it is a significant health issue that can impact people’s quality of life, employment and confidence.

I have created a very useful  guide to help people when experiencing lower back pain. This maybe able to help provide some gentle relief before you see a professional chiropractor or it may highlight serious symptoms that require immediate attention. After all, early detection and treatment will give you a much better outcome.

As a very general statement lower back pain can be triaged into three main sources.

1. Disc related lower back pain
2. Facet joint related lower back pain
3. Sacroiliac joint related lower back pain

The frequency of these different sources of lower back pain is roughly evenly distributed. So 28% of people experience disc pain, 28% are facet joint and 28% are sacroiliac joint related lower back pain.

To determine the sight of your pain as a general statement if you bend forward from a standing position and that creates pain for you then that may be a disc problem.

If you are standing up and you arch your back then it could be facet joint or sacroiliac joint.

Therefore, pain in flexion could be disc and pain in extension maybe facet joint or sacroiliac joint. Think about your sacroiliac joints as the two little dimple spots on either side of your lower back.

The key with any of these problems is to secure and accurate diagnosis so that you can be then given an appropriate treatment plan, appropriate exercises, stretches and other things necessary to remediate the problem.

So, if you need an accurate diagnosis we can provide that for you. In the meantime, providing you do not have unusual symptoms associated with your lower back pain which would be an immediate reason to visit a chiropractor. Things to expedite your visit to a chiropractor would include things such a loss of bowel or bladder control, pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs. Anything unusual like that would require an in-depth look.

If you just have simple lower back pain here are some basic things to do.

Do’s

• If bending forward aggravates your lower back then try stretching in the opposite direction. Lying flat on your tummy, propping yourself up on your elbows and letting your lower back arch and sink down on the ground. Aim to be completely relaxed and try not to contract any muscles. It should be just a very gentle stretch into extension.

If your lower back is aggravated by extending and going backwards we would be thinking it is a sacroiliac joint problem or a facet joint problem. Indeed you would stretch in the exact opposite direction. The easiest and safest way to do this is to lie flat on your back and bring both your knees up to your chest. Gently bringing your knees to your chest you should feel a little bit of a stretch through your lower back.

Don'ts

• Bending - Lifting - Twisting
• Classic ways to aggravate a problem include reaching forward to lift up something
• Bending down to pick up an object
• Repetitive forward bend - Vacuuming, sweeping, changing nappies, picking up kids etc
• Repetitive rotation - shoveling

Generally, for most people if you have got a lower back problem I would not recommend standing stretches for your hamstrings. So, standing and trying to reach towards the ground, although this might feel therapeutic at the time generally it will aggravate most people's lower back problem. We like to do stretches that are nice and safe and give you relief.

My mission is to help people be 'free to move' to do the things they love. You don't need to suffer with pain. I can help you. 

For appointments contact 9542 3330.
Online bookings available 


​Dr Chris Bowles
Co-founder of Health Associates
Principle Chiropractor
Learn more about Dr Chris Bowles

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Disclaimer
The information on the Health Associates website is not intended to be a substitute for professional clinical advice. Diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition can only be undertaken by a qualified health professional. Users of this information should seek the advice of qualified healthcare professional if they any concerns or questions regarding their condition. Every effort is made to make this information accurate, however we cannot guarantee the accuracy, quality, suitability or reliability of any information on this website.
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