Mount Pleasant Chiropractor

According to estimates, 80% of Americans will experience lower back pain at one point in their lives.

Unfortunately, knowing you are in good company does not make low back pain less uncomfortable or disruptive. Back pain can get so bad for some people that it significantly affects their quality of life and day to day functioning.

What are the causes of lower back pain? Read more on that here.

1. Deformity

Curvature of the spine can include kyphosis, lordosis or scoliosis. If a deformity is associated with the breakdown of discs, stenosis, facet joints and sacroiliac joints, it can also cause lower back pain.

2. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis results from the wear and tear of facet joints and discs. This can cause instability, pain, inflammation and stenosis to some degree. Osteoarthritis can occur on multiple levels of the lower spine.

Spinal osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease. It’s associated with ageing and is slowly progressive.

3. Pregnancy

Many women will experience some back pain during pregnancy. This pain is linked to multiple factors of pregnancy.

The first is weight gain. Women add weight during pregnancy, and the weight of the baby and the uterus adds more pressure to the nerves and blood vessels surrounding the pelvis and the back. This can cause discomfort.

Other causes are changes in posture as a pregnant woman tries to adjust to the shifting centre of gravity, muscle separation and hormonal changes that occur in pregnancy.

4. Spinal stenosis

The pain from spinal stenosis comes from narrowing of the spinal canal where nerve roots sit. This narrowing can be foramina, central or both.

It can also happen at one or more levels of the lower back.

5. Stains

Ligaments and muscles in the lower back can tear or stretch from excess activity. These symptoms include pain in the lower back and even muscle spasms.

Once you identify the source of the strain, avoid it and rest the back, the lower back pain should subside.

6. Bulging or ruptured discs

Discs function as cushions between the vertebrae (bones) in your spine. However, there is soft material inside the disc that can rupture or bulge and press on a nerve. This can cause lower back pain.

However, many people can have a ruptured disc without causing back pain. Often, disc diseases are identified when an individual goes in for an x-ray for something else.

7. Health conditions

Certain health conditions will have back pain as a symptom. Examples of these include;

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes long-term tenderness and pain in the joints, muscles, and tendons.

Spondylosis: this is a degenerative disorder that can cause the loss of normal spinal function and structure. This condition is typically linked to age but its rate of progression.

Conclusion

If you suffer from back pain, you will be happy to know that you have several options to consider.

These include medication, surgery, physiotherapy and chiropractic care. Any of these options can help you regain control of your health.

While pregnancy is often an exciting time for most, it does not come without its fair share of challenges.

Part of these are the aches and pains experienced during pregnancy, with many women getting lower back pain and discomfort.

At the same time, not many women are comfortable with the idea of popping pain pills throughout their pregnancy. In this case, non-medical alternatives are a great option to explore. Chiropractic treatments are one of these.

Are Chiropractic Treatments Safe In Pregnancy?

Chiropractic care is essentially the health maintenance of the spinal column. This does not involve any surgical procedures for oral medications. Instead, it focuses on sorting out spinal misalignments, reducing spinal nerve stress and promoting full-body health.

Chiropractic care is considered safe in pregnancy, with a few exceptions. Luckily, all licensed chiropractors receive training relating to pregnancy and chiropractic care. In addition, there are also chiropractor’s specialized in offering prenatal chiropractic care.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Pregnancy

Chiropractic care in pregnancy can deliver some impressive benefits to expectant moms. Some of these include;

1. Pain Management

As many as 50% of pregnant women suffer from lower back pain. This happens for various reasons, including baby weight on the spine and a shifted centre of gravity. Whatever the cause, lower back pain can get extremely uncomfortable and even make it difficult for an expectant woman to sleep or go about routine activities.

Aside from lower back pain, pregnant women will often experience sciatica. This is pain that runs down the side of one leg from the buttocks down to the ankle.

Chiropractic care relieves pain in the back, joints, hips and neck. It also provides better functioning and stability of the pelvic region.

2. Can Target Nausea

Another common pregnancy symptom is nausea. The spinal cord and spinal nerves make up part of the system chiropractic treatments focus on. These are part of the central nervous system.

Chiropractic alignments and treatments can help enhance the functioning of the entire central nervous system, which in turn helps ease nausea.

3. Baby Positioning

Everyone wants an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth. But, unfortunately, this does not always happen. One of the complications that might occur relates to how the baby is positioned in the womb.

If they present in a breech position, this is a sure sign that some interventions have to be attempted to try and reposition the baby.

A pelvic alignment resets the ligaments and muscles in the pelvic region, decreasing any intrauterine constraint. This allows for a better birthing position as it can give the baby space to maneuver and even help move its head downwards.

4. Easier, Shorter Labor and Delivery

Receiving regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can ensure that the pelvis, spine, and hips are properly aligned and that your nerves are functioning optimally.

Learn more about Vital Family Chiropractic Services in Pregnancy care.