Archive for the ‘September 2011’ Category

Patients often present to my office in frustration because they have a “bad back” that keeps “going out” on them.  Sometimes it happens after a long car ride.  For others, picking up their child or doing squats at the gym is the culprit.  They feel their back is not trustworthy and start to avoid certain activities that might irritate it.  This approach works for a while, but eventually even the smallest thing will start the pain and they give me a call.

Common back pain is caused by one of two causes: either the low back vertebrae don’t have enough flexibility or they are hypermobile and move too much.  Over time, these imbalances create wear and tear on the joints, discs and muscles, which in turn makes the patient’s back “go out” at the drop of a hat.  The key to stopping this pattern of chronic back pain is to identify the cause of the patient’s pain and pick the right treatment option.

For instance, if a patient’s back pain is caused by a lack of flexibility and they spend all of their time doing stabilization exercises, their pain will keep coming back because it isn’t addressing their problem.  On the other hand, if the pain is caused by too much movement in the low back and the patient stretches for treatment, they will continue to have difficulties until they stabilize through strengthening.  What works for one patient may not work for another.

Research indicates that even patients with disc injuries or arthritis can have a good prognosis if the appropriate treatment plan is designed for their unique strengths and weaknesses.  This is why I like to pinpoint areas of tightness, pain, weakness or discomfort during my patient’s first visit so that we can customize the appropriate mix of strengthening and flexibility training to break the chronic cycle of back pain.