Your back is a complex structure consisting of interacting bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. The spinal cord alone is a chain of 26 vertebrae and the rubbery discs between them that act as shock absorbers.

Just the simple act of standing upright puts pressure on your lower back because it has to bear the weight of about half your body. Injuries to any of your back’s components can trigger pain. Some of the more common reasons for back pain include:

Some less common causes of back pain include:

You may have a profession that strains your back by requiring you to lift heavy objects or stand or sit all day long. Other risk factors for developing back pain include:

An acute injury happens suddenly. For instance, if you wrench your back while lifting a heavy box, the pain you experience after the injury is acute pain. Acute pain usually resolves within a couple of weeks.

If you don’t treat that injury and the pain persists for between four and 12 weeks, it’s considered subacute pain. When the pain persists beyond 12 weeks, you have chronic lower back pain.

Medical treatments for lower back pain

Medical treatment for lower back pain begins with the understanding that when you have chronic back pain, your brain may be “tricking” your body into believing that it still hurts so you can avoid another injury.

That’s why the doctors at Leading Edge Medical use DyAnsys® percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to sooth your central nervous system and brain. DyAnsys stimulates acupuncture points in the ear to damper pain signals throughout the body.

Your Leading Edge medical professional may also give you trigger-point injections. This method requires injecting a solution containing an anesthetic with or without steroids directly into painful, knotted tissue for relief.

You can control your pain as needed with over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, or analgesics, including aspirin. Counter-irritants (e.g., Tiger Balm) can sometimes provide relief. Your doctor may prescribe short-term anti-convulsant medication if you have a pinched nerve.

The experts at Leading Edge also massage your muscles, tendons, and other tissues to suffuse them with healing blood and oxygen. In most cases, you receive rehab therapy to regain strength and flexibility in all of the soft tissues that are related to your back pain.

Chiropractic treatments for lower back pain

Chiropractic treatment for lower back pain begins by correcting subluxations (misalignments) in your spinal cord with manual adjustments. Leading Edge doctors also use Graston Technique® instrument-assisted soft-tissue manipulation.

In this therapy, your doctor massages and scrapes your skin with a series of specialized tools that break down and smooth your scar tissue. Graston manipulation accelerates your recovery and restores function to your lower back.

Whether your back pain is chronic or acute, the doctors at Leading Edge Medical can alleviate it with supportive, healing remedies. Call the helpful, friendly staff or set up your appointment online.