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Archive for the 'Back Pain' Category

Vertebral Compression Fracture Management and Prevention

Compression fractures (CFs) of the spinal vertebrae can occur in two main varieties: acute and chronic. Acute CFs can occur at any age and can be quite serious, especially if the bony fragments displace into the spinal canal where the spinal cord in located. These most often represent unstable fractures and must be evaluated immediately [..]

Keeping Low Back Pain from Becoming Chronic

It’s estimated that about one-in-seven adults in the United States have chronic low back pain (lasting longer than three months), which can have a major effect on one’s ability to carry out their daily activities. As such, it’s important to identify which factors may be associated with an increased risk for progressing from acute low [..]

Poor Seated Posture and Low Back Pain

We’ve all been told—especially as children—to stop slouching and to stand or sit up straight. As it happens, this is great advice to keep the spine healthy and reduce the risk for a painful low back condition. A landmark 1981 study calculated the amount of pressure placed on the intervertebral disks in the lower back [..]

The Pelvic Floor & Low Back Pain

The pelvic floor is the muscular “hammock” that carries the weight of the viscera located in the pelvis. If these muscles become too loose or too tight, an individual may experience urinary (or fecal) urgency or incontinence, sexual dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse, as well as pain in the pelvic region and even in the lower [..]

A Vascular Cause of Low Back Pain

For the older adult, pain that radiates into the leg is a common complaint. This process, called neurogenic claudication, occurs when the spinal cord and/or nerve roots are pinched as they exit the arthritic spine (a condition called spinal stenosis). However, there is another degenerative condition that can cause pain in the legs called peripheral [..]

Chiropractic Is an Excellent First Choice for Low Back Pain

The current available research notes that 52% of all opioid prescriptions are for patients with low back pain, and over two million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder (OUD), with 47,000 dying from OUD in 2017. In light of the opioid epidemic, the high cost of diagnostic tests and invasive treatment, and the low level [..]

Treating Low Back-Related Leg Pain

Low back-related leg pain (LBRLP) is a common condition that drives patients into primary care clinics, including chiropractic offices, but these cases are often complex, and determining the underlying cause can be clinically challenging. Let’s take a look at the current treatment strategies for LBRLP. To begin with, the patient’s doctor will need to determine [..]

The Lower Back and Fall Prevention

Serious falls can lead to a number of negative outcomes in older adults, from impaired mobility to loss of independence to early death. Thus, steps that can be taken to reduce the risk for falls will not only potentially result in a longer life, but also help support a higher quality of life in those [..]

Cauda Equina Syndrome

The cauda equina (Latin for “horse’s tail”) is made up of many nerves that travel down and exit out the sides of the lumbar spine and sacrum (tail bone) and transfer information (motor and sensory) to and from our legs and brain. If the cauda equina becomes compressed, the resulting cauda equina syndrome (CES) is [..]

The Lower Back, Leg Pain, and Sciatica

The roots of the sciatic nerve exit the spine through several levels in the lower back, join in the buttock region, and travel down into the lower extremities. When pressure is applied to the sciatic nerve in the lower back area, it can generate pain and other sensations down the nerve into one of the [..]