For many individuals with low back pain, how does spinal decompression alleviate muscle stress as part of initial treatment?

Introduction

Many working individuals know that low back pain is a common problem that causes them to go to their primary doctor to get examined and miss out on work. Low back pain is a multifactorial musculoskeletal condition that causes overlapping risk profiles to affect the body’s lower extremities. Low back pain can correlate with musculoskeletal disorders like sciatica, abdominal pain, leg pain, and DDD (degenerative disc disease). It can range from acute to chronic, depending on the severity the individual is dealing with when it comes to pain. At the same time, low back pain can be non-specific or mechanical as the surrounding muscles, soft tissues, joints, and ligaments are affected and dealing with symptoms of muscle strain, unwanted pressure on the joint, causing stress, and muscle aches. Since the body and the spine naturally age, it causes more stress on the lower back as individuals begin to hunch over more when walking or carrying heavy objects, which causes more strain on the back muscles, leading them to a life of disability. Luckily, non-surgical treatments have become more available to reduce the effects of muscle stress associated with low back pain and alleviate the pain-like symptoms in the lumbar spine. Today’s article focuses on how numerous factors can cause muscle stress to the lower back and how spinal decompression can reduce its effects while alleviating low back pain. At the same time, we work hand-in-hand with certified medical providers who incorporate our patient’s information to treat and mitigate muscle stress on the lower back. We also inform them that non-surgical treatments like spinal decompression can help alleviate residual pain-like symptoms associated with low back pain and help them return to their daily activities. We encourage our patients to ask profound questions while seeking education from our associated medical providers about their pain-like issues. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., incorporates this information as an educational service. Disclaimer

 

How Factors Cause Muscle Stress To The Low Back

Do you feel gradual or consistent pain in your lower back after carrying a heavy object from one location to another? Are you constantly taking medication for your low back pain to finish the workday? Or do you feel pain in your sciatic nerve that gets aggravated when you are in motion, and you feel relief when resting? Around the world, many people have dealt with low back pain and its associated symptom at some point. Since low back pain can be either specific or non-specific, pain can come from spinal issues that cause referred pain to a different body location or normal repetitive factors that cause discomfort to the surrounding soft tissues, muscles, and ligaments. Some symptoms correlating with low back pain include progressive motor or sensory issues, urinary retention, abnormal neurologic issues, spinal misalignment, or soft tissue abnormalities. (Will, Bury, & Miller, 2018) When many working individuals are dealing with non-specific low back pain, the surrounding soft tissues and muscles can become weak and overworked, which causes overlapping risk profiles and results in the development of low back pain.

 

 

Many working individuals with demanding jobs, whether physical or sedentary, will often strain their lumbar region from lifting/carrying heavy objects or being hunched over constantly at the computer. When a person continues to put repetitive stress on the surrounding muscles, it can cause chronic pain over time and become a major cause of work loss. (Becker & Childress, 2019) Low back pain can cause the individual to be more stressed since they are missing out on work. Low back pain can also be due to lumbar instability from the intervertebral disc and surrounding muscles and ligaments under constant pressure. (Hauser et al., 2022) Since the body and spine age over time naturally, many individuals dealing with low back pain will begin to feel their joints and muscle structures loosen over time, leading to musculoskeletal symptoms that prevent the spine from destabilizing. This can cause the individual to limit their ability to participate in daily activities and even reduce their quality of life. Luckily, non-surgical treatments can reduce the effects of low back pain while revitalizing the lumbar region so many people can continue their daily activities pain-free.

 

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From Injury To Recovery-Video

When treating and reducing low back pain, many pain specialists like chiropractors and massage therapists can incorporate non-invasive treatments to ease low back pain. Non-invasive treatments like chiropractic care and spinal decompression can help reduce muscle stress on the lumbar region with mechanical or manual spinal manipulation and help relieve the affected lumbar area. Now spinal decompression and chiropractic care have a wonderful relationship as they use negative pressure on the intervertebral disc to increase nutrient flow back to the spine and help kick-start the body’s natural healing process. (Schimmel et al., 2009) These treatments are not only non-invasive, but they are also safe and cost-effective while being customizable to the person’s pain. The video above explains how these treatments can reduce soft tissue injuries and the effects of musculoskeletal pain on the lumbar region.

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Spinal Decompression Reducing Muscle Stress From Low Back Pain

Non-surgical treatments like spinal decompression are incorporated into a person’s personalized health plan to reduce the effects of low back pain. Spinal decompression uses gentle traction on the spine to diminish the compressive load on the intervertebral disc to reduce herniation while stretching the lumbar spinal muscles and ligaments to decrease muscle spasms. (Sari et al., 2005) When individuals start to feel relief in their lower back due to spinal decompression as they begin to feel general improvement in the lumbar region. (Borman, Keskin, & Bodur, 2003) Since spinal decompression uses gentle traction on the spine, this gentle force can relieve radicular symptoms associated with the lower extremities. (Krause et al., 2000) Additionally, the effects of spinal decompression can be a positive experience for many individuals dealing with low back pain. (Pellecchia, 1994) When it comes to reducing low back pain, utilizing non-surgical treatments like spinal decompression can help improve mobility back to the individual and reduce the pain they were experiencing before. When people begin to think about their health and wellness, they can experience relief from the pain and get back to normalcy.

 

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References

Becker, B. A., & Childress, M. A. (2019). Nonspecific Low Back Pain and Return To Work. American Family Physician, 100(11), 697-703. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31790184

www.aafp.org/dam/brand/aafp/pubs/afp/issues/2019/1201/p697.pdf

 

Borman, P., Keskin, D., & Bodur, H. (2003). The efficacy of lumbar traction in the management of patients with low back pain. Rheumatol Int, 23(2), 82-86. doi.org/10.1007/s00296-002-0249-0

 

Hauser, R. A., Matias, D., Woznica, D., Rawlings, B., & Woldin, B. A. (2022). Lumbar instability as an etiology of low back pain and its treatment by prolotherapy: A review. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil, 35(4), 701-712. doi.org/10.3233/BMR-210097

 

Krause, M., Refshauge, K. M., Dessen, M., & Boland, R. (2000). Lumbar spine traction: evaluation of effects and recommended application for treatment. Man Ther, 5(2), 72-81. doi.org/10.1054/math.2000.0235

 

Pellecchia, G. L. (1994). Lumbar traction: a review of the literature. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 20(5), 262-267. doi.org/10.2519/jospt.1994.20.5.262

 

Sari, H., Akarirmak, U., Karacan, I., & Akman, H. (2005). Computed tomographic evaluation of lumbar spinal structures during traction. Physiother Theory Pract, 21(1), 3-11. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16385939

 

Schimmel, J. J., de Kleuver, M., Horsting, P. P., Spruit, M., Jacobs, W. C., & van Limbeek, J. (2009). No effect of traction in patients with low back pain: a single centre, single blind, randomized controlled trial of Intervertebral Differential Dynamics Therapy. Eur Spine J, 18(12), 1843-1850. doi.org/10.1007/s00586-009-1044-3

 

Will, J. S., Bury, D. C., & Miller, J. A. (2018). Mechanical Low Back Pain. American Family Physician, 98(7), 421-428. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30252425

www.aafp.org/dam/brand/aafp/pubs/afp/issues/2018/1001/p421.pdf

 

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