Lower Back Pain 

Lower back pain is one of the most comment ailments that most people will deal with at some time in their life. It can begin suddenly and last for a short period of time or be a chronic condition that is long standing and often getting progressively worse.

Causes of Lower Back Pain:

Lower back pain can be caused by a wide variety of reasons. They are generally categorized into 4 different classes, mechanical, metabolic, inflammatory or referred.

Pain can begin because of a form of trauma such as a car accident, sports injury or a fall which may damage the muscles, disc or joints in the lower back.

Poor body mechanics during lifting and poor posture can be contributing factors.

Some inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, degnerative discs and referred pain from Colitis or kiney problems may also cause lower back pain.

Signs and Symptoms:

Lower back pain is described as pain at the base of your spine. Pain may be worse at night, during bending or after sitting for a period of time. Sometimes the pain can radiate down into the legs and feet. In cases where a nerve may be compressed, numbness, pins and needles or weakness may be experienced.

Treatment for Lower Back Pain:

Physiotherapy is a very beneficial treatment for alleviating lower back pain. the physiotherapist will do a thorough assessment of the lower back to determine the cause of pain. They will assess the movement between the vertebra along with how the muscular system is working.

A physiotherapist often uses hands-on techniques of mobilisation or manipulation in cases where the spinal vertebrae are not moving properly. They may also determine if the use of modalities such as IFC, ultrasound, Muscle Stimulation, Acupuncture, Spinal Traction (decompression), massage therapy or chiropractic care is warrented in each individual case.

Along with the hands-on therapy, exercise is oftern prescribed to promote recovery and return you to your normal level of function as quickly as possible.