The "Ins and Outs" of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is the leading cause of physical disability in Canada. Lower back pain refers to pain and discomfort felt in the bottom portion of the spine, and can refer pain to the hips, legs, and feet. Lower back pain can and will affect people of all ages and activity levels to various degrees and severity.
Sometimes lower back pain comes on very suddenly; we refer to this as “acute back pain”. This type of back pain can be related more to a specific moment in time or injury; however, that does not necessarily mean that the movement you were doing when you got injured is the only related cause. With this type of back pain, symptoms can be severe and intense, but good news is that most cases resolve quickly.
Other people deal with what we refer to as “chronic back pain”. By definition, chronic back pain is pain that has been present for more than 3 months. Chronic back pain is rarely ever caused by one thing. Most often there is a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and lifestyle factors that come into play.
The best way to deal with lower back pain is to go through a thorough assessment to understand how the body moves, responds to stress, and how other factors may be impacting your recovery. Then a comprehensive plan can be put in place to help guide you through management and recovery of your lower back pain.
What Causes Lower Back Pain
There is rarely a single event, most often it is a result of repeated stress that builds up over time.
Common causes may include a combination of the following:
- Prolonged sitting or sedentary lifestyle
- Repetitive bending or lifting
- Sudden increase in physical activity
- Sudden, quick or jerky movement
- Emotional and psychological stress
- Poor recovery time between exercise or activity
- Previous or current hip, knee, or spine related injuries.
Lower Back Pain Treatment in Burlington
Treatment that works
As we've learned, there is no single cause of back pain, which means that good treatment starts with a good assessment. This assessment will guide us in determining which strategies and techniques we use to help manage your back pain. If you are experiencing more acute back pain, you can reference this post for some more in-depth tips and tricks for working your way through it.
A well-rounded treatment plan is multi-faceted and should include multiple techniques to achieve the best results. First off, chiropractic care/adjustments along with manual therapy are consistently advised as first line treatment for both acute and chronic back pain in evidence based clinical practice guidelines.
The use of exercise, progressive loading, and stretching are also very important for increasing the capacity, mobility, and strength of your lower back. However, there is no magic exercise for all back pain, and your exercises might look different from someone else you know dealing with back pain.
At The Recovery Room Chiropractic and Wellness in Burlington, we believe that education should always be at the forefront of all treatment plans. The more you know about your lower back pain, potential causes, lifestyle factors that may need changing, the better results you will see.
Frequently Asked Questions about lower back pain
Common questions we see at our clinic in Burlington
For most cases the answer is no. Unless we are concerned that something could be broken or out of place, which could happen after a traumatic fall or car accident for example, an X-ray will not necessarily change our plan of action as determined by the physical assessment. If your symptoms are not improving as expected, your provider may choose to send you for an X-ray at that time to obtain some additional information.
It depends! For more acute causes of sprain and strain type injuries it could be as quick as 2-4 weeks, and for more complicated injuries such as disc herniations it could take up to 6 months for everything to be fully healed.
While some rest and modified activity can be useful, it is best to avoid complete inactivity. For most cases, the more active we can stay, the better! Your chiropractor or health care provider may advise you to avoid certain activities, but we rarely want to avoid everything altogether.
Dr. Phil Wessel
Chiropractic, Custom Orthotics Fitting
Dr. Phil Wessel is a chiropractor with over seven years of experience helping patients in Burlington and Oakville recover from injury and stay active. Throughout his career, he noticed that many common muscle, tendon, joint, and spine injuries were often treated without addressing the underlying causes, leading to ongoing pain and recurring problems.
This realization led him to create The Recovery Room Chiropractic & Wellness—a clinic focused on providing effective, evidence-informed care for active adults and athletes who want to get back to the activities they love.
Dr. Phil’s treatment approach combines chiropractic adjustments, manual therapy, shockwave therapy, and rehabilitation exercise to help patients recover from both acute and chronic injuries. He has a particular interest in treating tendon-related conditions, including Achilles tendinopathy, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries, and jumper’s knee.
A graduate of the University of Guelph and New York Chiropractic College, Dr. Phil understands first hand the importance of staying active. Outside the clinic, you’ll find him spending time with his wife and two children, playing pickleball, or enjoying a round of golf whenever he gets the chance.
Helping active people recover, perform, and stay in the game.
The Recovery Room Chiropractic and Wellness
5041 Fairview St,Burlington, ON
L7L 4W8 View Staff & Treatments
