Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common complaints we see as chiropractors here at Nicolas FREY DC Chiropractic Centre. It is estimated that between 70% and 90% of the population will experience an episode of back pain at some point in their lives. Anyone who has suffered from this condition is aware of how debilitating it can be. That is why it is the number one cause of years lived with a disability. Back pain can significantly affect your daily life, making many everyday activities difficult.

Due to the variable nature of back pain, there are many potential differential diagnoses, including: sciatica (numbness, tingling and shooting pain), facet syndrome, muscle sprains, joint sprains, disc protrusions and many more. It is important that we correctly identify what type of back pain you are suffering from in order to be successful with treatment.

What does this pain feel like?

Often patients describe pain with even the slightest movements, a shooting pain down the back of the leg (sciatica), a dull ache, numbness around the area or stiffness with blocked movements.

Common causes:
Poor posture/spinal alignment.
Inactivity
Prolonged sitting
Trauma
Repetitive bad movements
Poor lifting technique
Sports injuries
Underlying disease or pathology (rare)
Pregnancy

What is the most common cause of back pain?

Once any underlying disease or problem has been ruled out, the most common cause of back pain is mechanical. This means that the joints of the spine do not move as freely as they are designed to. This causes local pain and restriction, can contribute to degeneration of the spine, muscle spasm, disc formation and irritation of the nerves surrounding the back.

Inflammation and swelling around the lower back can often irritate the sciatic nerve, resulting in shooting pain down the back of the leg.

How can chiropractic help back pain?

There can be many factors in what is causing your back pain, so it is essential that we provide an accurate diagnosis.

During this examination, we will perform a series of orthopaedic, neurological and musculoskeletal tests to find out what the problem is. Once we have all this information, we will inform you of our findings.

From there we will create a personalised treatment plan, designed to help you recover naturally. Our treatment approach will include spinal adjustments, adjustments to the joints of the body, especially the lower extremities, muscle work, as well as the prescription of rehabilitation exercises and stretching.

In the case of back pain, we will also analyse the lifestyle factors that have led to the injury and help you make the necessary modifications to prevent future cases.

We use a variety of different chiropractic techniques, from manual adjustment to gentle, low force techniques. Depending on your needs and body type, we will provide you with a treatment style that suits your body.