If you’re suffering from back problems, you’re far from alone. In fact, around 65 million Americans struggle with back pain at some point in their lives. It’s one of the most frequent issues that people go to the doctor for.
If you’re experiencing this condition, figuring out why you’re suffering is an important first step to getting treatment. Here, we’re going to talk about the different types of back pain. Read on to identify the problem and to learn how your chiropractor can help.
Identifying Symptoms and Location
To diagnose your back pain appropriately, you’ll need to consider the area of discomfort and the symptoms of your pain. There are a few common classifications of pain that you may have:
- Mechanical pain (also called axial pain), which can be either sharp or dull, can be more intense at some times than others, and is confined to one region of the back
- Referred pain, which is a dull ache that moves around your back and varies in intensity at different times
- Radicular pain, which follows the path of your spine and can feel like a searing electric shock
Make sure that you think about these symptoms when deciding which of the following types of pain you may have.
Note that you’ll need to see a specialist to determine which you have with 100% certainty. Self-diagnosis alone is not an accurate way to figure out what to have your Lexington chiropractor treat, but it’s a good step towards better understanding your pain.
Muscle Strain
Muscle strain is one of the most common kinds of back pain because it often comes from too much sitting.
If you work in an office or otherwise live a sedentary lifestyle, you put a lot of strain on your lower back muscles. The same applies to your upper back because of the need to hold your neck up to look at a monitor.
Muscle strain leads to axial pain in the lower and upper back, so if you feel a dull pain in one of these areas with an occasional sharp jolt, this is likely what you’re contending with.
Back Pain Due to Disc Injury
Back pain due to disc injury is also called ‘flexion dominant back pain’. Symptoms will worsen when you sit or bend and improve when you stand or walk for even short periods.
This pain might include leg pain and numbness in both the back and legs. It can also inhibit your range of motion- you’ll have a hard time standing up.
If you’re wondering when to see a chiropractor as a result of a slipped or herniated disc, the answer is that you need an appointment as soon as possible. We can evaluate your entire spine and perform spinal manipulation techniques to ease the issue.
Inflammatory Back Pain
Inflammatory back pain is less common than the other two types we’ve discussed here today, but it still is fairly common. Around 60 million Americans contend with chronic inflammation, so it makes sense that this problem would persist in the spinal joints.
This pain isn’t due to back trauma and will worsen with immobility. At nighttime and in the early morning after you lay in bed, the back pain will be at its worst. After exercise, it will lessen a bit.
In addition to seeing the best chiropractor near you, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen can soothe some of the pain.
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic pain is defined as any pain that will persist over the duration of your lifetime due to an underlying condition. The pain won’t cause life-threatening health issues, but it’s something that you will always need to live with.
Many chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia are caused because the nervous system interprets non-harmful stimuli as dangerous. This translates to pain for the person experiencing the condition.
Other chronic conditions are caused by issues with the shape or strength of your spine itself. Scoliosis, or unnatural curvature of the spine, is a good example of one such issue. This can cause your entire spine to feel sore with an extreme throbbing dull pain around the curved area.
Since chronic conditions vary widely, the treatment also varies widely. Discuss your potential issue with a knowledgeable chiropractor who can closely examine your spine before suggesting treatment.
If you have a nervous system issue like fibromyalgia, you may also need to see a neurological professional before getting chiropractic treatment.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractors offer tailored treatment plans that provide you with long-term reliefs from back pain. These plans may involve stretches and exercises for you to do at home, but the primary way that chiropractors help is with spinal manipulation techniques.
Within a few visits, we can help you diagnose your symptoms and the underlying cause of this pain. This happens through very close spinal analysis and x-rays (when needed). You then will receive spinal manipulations over a series of many visits that build on each other.
We can correct spinal alignment and prevent problems from arising in the future with detailed stretches and exercises. We also can give you manipulations that prevent pain relief to ensure that your spinal cord is perfectly aligned and comfortable.
Get Treatment for the Different Types of Back Pain
Now that you know about the different types of back pain and how a chiropractor can help with treatment, it’s time to get started. Contact the Lexington chiropractic clinic with any lingering questions that you have about your back pain.
We’re happy to help you schedule an appointment to get your back looked at when you reach out. Since we pride ourselves on soothing even aches and pains that have persisted for long periods of time, we look forward to hearing from you soon.