Chronic low back pain or pain of the lower back can be serious and disrupt your life. If you’re seeking chronic low back pain management in Philadelphia, schedule an appointment with Dr. Lenny Roberts.
Click here to contact us or call 215-487-2500.
What is Chronic Low Back Pain
Low back pain is very common. At least 80% of all people suffer from it once or more during their lifetime. Although low back pain is a potentially disabling condition, it is not life threatening.
What Causes Chronic Low Back Pain
Low back pain can begin during very ordinary activity when lifting objects not particularly heavy, during a quick movement, reaching for something, or while sitting for longer periods of time in abnormal postures. Because disorders of the spine usually develop slowly and over a number of years, a person becomes progressively more vulnerable to injury and pain from a relatively minor event or slight body movement.
Other causes of low back pain can include lumbar strain, nerve irritation, lumbar radiculopathy, bony encroachment, and conditions of the bone and joints.
Low Back Pain Symptoms
The type, location, and severity of low back pain depends upon what is causing it.
Symptoms of a back sprain or strain generally include:
- Muscle spasms, cramping, and stiffness.
- Pain, mostly in the back and buttocks. The pain may develop quickly or over a longer period of time. Pain generally occurs in episodes
Symptoms of nerve-root pressure generally include:
- Leg pain. If pain extends below the knee, it is more likely to be due to pressure on a nerve than to a muscle problem. Most commonly, the pain starts in the buttock and travels down the back of the leg as far as the ankle or foot. This pain pattern is known as sciatica.
- Pain may come on suddenly or gradually. It may vary from mild to severe, and it can be constant or it may come and go. It is usually sharp and burning and is made worse by sneezing, coughing, or straining to pass stools. Some people describe it as a shooting pain. The pain usually affects only one leg.
- Depending on the cause of your low back pain, symptoms may be better or worse in various positions, such as bending forward (flexion) or backwards (extension). If bending forward increases symptoms, walking, lying down, and movements that straighten (extend) the spine usually relieve symptoms. The opposite is also true: if your symptoms are worse when you stand or walk, they are usually relieved by sitting down or lying down on your back with your knees bent, and by gentle exercises to bend your spine forward (flex).
- Pain can also be made worse by activities that cause you to forcefully contract the core muscles of your trunk, such as a cough, sneeze, or a difficult bowel movement, or if you hold your breath during an activity (Valsalva maneuver).
- Nerve-related problems, such as tingling, numbness, or weakness in one leg or in the foot, lower leg, or both legs. Tingling may begin in the buttock and extend to the ankle or foot.
If you’re suffering from low back pain and are seeking low back pain management, Dr. Lenny Roberts can help. Set up an appointment for a consultation today.
Click here to contact us or call 215-487-2500.
