Common Causes of Low Back Pain and How We Can Help

Your spine forms the foundation of your entire musculoskeletal system, so it should come as no surprise that back pain is fairly common given its big role. 

By the numbers, about 39% of adults in the United States report back pain, and these large numbers certainly contribute to the 1 in 4 adults who report chronic pain.

At LaSante Health Center, our team of medical professionals offers comprehensive pain management services, and low back pain is one of the primary complaints. 

This month, we dive into some of the leading causes of low back pain and how we can help you find much-needed relief.

Why the low back is at risk

Your spine stretches from the base of your head to your pelvis, and certain areas of this long structure are more susceptible to painful conditions — namely, your cervical spine (neck) and your lumbar spine (low back).

These two areas of your spine enjoy the most movement, which places them more at risk for injury and premature degeneration.

While movement is certainly one reason why low back is so common, this area of your spine also carries the heaviest load — your entire upper body.

Common culprits behind low back pain

Now let’s explore some of the conditions that can lead to low back pain, including:

• Degenerative disc disease — your discs become flatter and more brittle with age
• Spinal stenosis — a narrowing in your spinal canal due to degenerative changes
• Herniated discs, which affects more than 3 million Americans each year
• Sciatica
• Muscle strain
• Arthritis
• Spondylolisthesis — your vertebrae shift and move

The pain piece of the puzzle often occurs when the condition leads to nerve entrapment. Your lumbar spine contains five pairs of nerve roots that exit the spinal canal in your lower back. If one becomes pinched or irritated, it can lead to local low back pain, as well as symptoms that run down your legs, such as pain, numbness, and tingling.

A classic example of this is sciatica, a condition in which this large nerve becomes compressed by degenerative changes in your low back.

Finding relief from low back pain

If your world has become a little smaller and more uncomfortable because of low back pain, we can certainly help.

If a nerve entrapment issue is causing the pain, we can start with nerve blocks or steroid injections. These interventional injections can provide you a welcome respite from the pain, as well as an opportunity to take more meaningful and sustainable action.

If your low back pain is the result of a muscle strain, we can provide you with muscle-relaxing medications to ease the tension in your lower back.

Once we get you moving without pain again, a good next step is targeted physical therapy. Some potentially strong muscle groups support your back. If you work on strengthening these muscles, it can take the pressure off your spine so your pain won’t return.

Weight loss is another way to reduce low back pain, as you release some of the added pressure on your lower back.

On top of these practices, we can also provide you with some at-home care tips that include hot and cold therapies and lower back stretching exercises.

The first step in treating low back pain is to come in for an evaluation so we can identify the underlying cause. From there, we’re confident that we can help you find relief.

To get started, please book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700.  We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.