What causes back pain?
Your back is made up of 33 vertebrae, which make up the underlying structure of your back. Not to be overlooked, however, are the numerous supporting players, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments that all work in concert to allow your back to function properly.
Your spine is divided into five sections:
- Cervical spine, or neck
- Thoracic spine, or mid back
- Lumbar spine, or low back
- Sacrum
- Cocyx
Most back pain strikes the neck or low back, since these are typically the hardest-working areas of your spine, and is usually caused by:
- Degenerative joint disease, such as arthritis
- Back injury
- Sprain or strain
- Nerve compression, including bulging or herniated disks
What causes sciatica pain?
Sciatica is a term used to describe pain in your low back and legs caused by a pinch in your sciatic nerve. Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body and originates in your low back and splits and travels down the back of both your legs. Since this nerve is so large, there are a number of conditions that can irritate it, including:
- Herniated disk
- Degenerative disk disease
- Stress fracture, or spondylolisthesis
- Stenosis, or narrowing of your spinal column
Sciatic pain is mostly caused by an irritation in your spine, but the pain often travels along the length of the nerve down into your legs, making it a potentially painful and debilitating condition.
How is back and sciatica pain treated?
Since the cornerstone of chiropractic care is treating the spine, Dr. Nick offers numerous therapies that successfully treat back and sciatic pain, such as:
Spinal adjustments
The core of every treatment plan for back problems includes spinal adjustments. Through hands-on techniques, Dr. Nick addresses alignment issues in your spine that cause pain by realigning your spine, which reduces nerve irritation, restores range of motion, and allows your body to better access and heal the problem area.
Trigger point therapy
If contracted muscles are causing your back pain, our Certified Nurse Practitioner releases these pressure points through injections of anesthetics and anti-inflammatories.
In addition to these treatments, our staff also uses massage therapy, hot and cold therapies, and acupuncture, to boost the primary treatment.
