Perhaps you worked out in your garden and noticed a twinge in your back that only got worse with time. You lifted something heavy and suddenly there’s a sharp pain in your back that refuses to go away. There are several types of back pain, and it could be something minor that goes away or something more serious.
It’s important to know the different types and get to a doctor to take care of the problem. We created this guide to inform you of the most common types of back pain, so you can better understand the problem and discuss it with a chiropractor.
Read on to learn more!
Types of Back Pain: Flexion Dominant
When people have flexion dominant back pain, chiropractors commonly diagnose them with disc issues. It includes pain in the spine and leg, tingling, numbness, and loss of motion. Symptoms worsen when sitting, lifting, and bending and improve with walking.
Professionals such as Brandon Chiropractic Associates often treat the problem through directional exercises and stretching. Once the symptoms recede, the chiropractor discovers what caused the problem and how to avoid it in the future.
Extension Dominant
This impacts the joints in the spine, called zygapophyseal joints. These types of injuries follow a pattern: pain after standing, relief by sitting, stiff back, pain after strenuous activity, and leg or spine pain along with tingling or numbness.
Care includes reducing pressure on that area of the spine. Chiropractors teach abdominal stabilization exercises and hip stretches. For the long term, more aggressive treatments include building spinal muscles and shortening hip muscles.
Inflammation
Inflammation of the spinal joints causes by an autoimmune disease leads to intense back pain. It’s often misdiagnosed before a patient is referred to a chiropractor for treating back pain.
Symptoms usually occur in people under 35 and are not caused by trauma to the back. Pain lingers for months and worsens with immobility such as when sleeping. People take anti-inflammatory over the counter medication, and it helps.
There is no real cure for this type of back pain, but special exercises and other types of back pain treatment manage the pain.
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic back pain is a catch-all term for back pain that doesn’t seem to have a cause. The nervous system creates pain because it misinterprets signals from the brain and outside stimuli. Getting rid of this back pain like this isn’t easy.
Most traditional treatments are of little help. Symptoms vary and don’t follow any traditional anatomic regularities. Stress and anxiety make the pain worse and are not linked to any mechanical issues such as an injury.
These disorders are uncommon and usually require a specific individualized treatment plan. It can include a mix of prescription medications, exercises, and stretches.
Back Pain Requires Treatment
With so many types of back pain, it’s important to have it treated by professionals. If left alone, back pain often worsens and requires surgery or other more invasive treatments. The key to managing and treating the cause of back pain is early diagnosis.
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