Common Types of Back & Leg Pain and How It Is Treated
Musculoskeletal pain is the most common type of chronic pain and low back pain is the most prevalent in this category. Low back pain (LBP) can range from uncomfortable twinges in the low back to debilitating pain that radiates down one or both legs. No matter your severity, LBP is not something that you need to suffer from the rest of your life.
NOrmal/healthy Disc vs abnormal disc
There are 2 common causes of LBP :
1- Disc Condition: There are discs between very spinal bone in the back. These discs act as a shock absorber for the body. When the fibers of the disc tear it cause pain and allow swelling of the nearby muscles. A disc may also rupture or bulge onto a nearby nerve, which may also compress a nearby nerve and result in leg pain, sciatic being the most well known. When the fibers tear it causes the discs to lose fluid and become smaller, you may here this called degenerative disc disease. This can occur from injury, arthritis, and even normal aging because of gravity.
Disc changes that can cause pain in the low back & down the leg.
When the disc degenerates it can also cause bone spurs to develop on the vertebral bones. (As seen in the picture on the right, it is labelled as osteophyte formation)
2- Joint Irritation
The Joints in your spine are the areas that connect the vertebral bones to each other. they occur on both sides of each vertebral bone.
The second most common cause of low back pain is joint irritation. A joint in an area of the body where two bones meet, it is responsible for stability and movement of the skeleton.
There are joints between every spinal bone, around, and between the pelvic bones. These joints can get 'stuck' and/or cause improper movement. This causes pain and irritation for both the spines movement and for structures around the spine that are now unable to function properly. This can cause you to feel pain in your hips, low back, muscles, into your groin, and down your legs.
The pubic symphysis is another joint in the pelvic region that can cause a lot of pain and discomfort, especially during pregnancy. Dr. Heppe experienced pubic symphysis pain first hand wile pregnant with her first child and has worked with many women to help them keep this pain at bay.
This shows the sacroiliac joints which are located between your spine and hip bones. the pubic symphysis, which is not labelled in the picture above is also a joint that can cause a lot of pain, esp during pregnancy.
JOINTS WITHIN EACH SPINAL SEGMENT. THERE ARE 24 SPINAL SEGMENTS IN YOUR BODY.
Treatment of Disc Pain and Joint Irritation
Dr. Heppe is the only chiropractor over 40+miles that is trained in a technique called Cox Flexion-Distraction. This is a gentle, well researched, hands on chiropractic adjustment, which decompresses spinal nerves and treats spinal pain.
During the treatment you will lie on your stomach (or on your left side if you are pregnant) while the Dr. Heppe uses her specialized table to manipulate your spine, relieve nerve pressure, and mobilize the joints to regain their full range of motion. Click here to watch videos of the founder Dr. Cox performing these adjustments. This procedure is fast, easy, and effective. Cox Flexion- Distraction is known as the technique to reduce low back pain without needing surgery.
The flexion-distraction movement of the table helps to increase the fluid in the discs and decrease disc bulges. This takes pressure off the nerve roots and remobilizes the spinal segments to function properly.
