low back pain clinicOur low back clinic is geared to providing an effective and customized program of care to help manage and treat low back pain.  Not all low back pain is the same!  Most cases of sudden or acute low back pain (LBP) usually involve a combination of soft tissue and/or joint injury.  What is soft tissue? This simply refers to the muscles, tendons, ligaments and myofascia of the low back.  Often times, sudden low back pain involves a strain or lesion to the soft tissue components of the low back.  A muscle strain or trigger point lesion would fall under this category.

The joints of the low back are comprised of five vertebral segments that are connected together with facet joints.  Each vertebral segment is commonly referred to as L (short for Lumbar) followed by a number 1-5 to indicate the affected vertebrae.  A joint restriction or subluxation implies that the range of motion between two or more vertebraes  has been compromised.

Another common area of the low back involved with chronic or long term low back pain are the discs.  The discs resemble the shape of a jelly doughnut and are located between each vertebral segment from the neck down to the low back.  There function is to offer shock absorption to the spine as well as making it more pliable during movement.  Think of the round pliable ducts inside your home that deliver the heating and air conditioning throughout the house.  The vertebral segments provide the strength of the spine, while the discs provide the flexibility and agility, thus giving you a structure that is both strong and pliable!

Injuries to the discs of the low back range from a mild disc bulge to a full blown disc rupture or herniation.  Mild disc bulges are treatable and manageable with complimentary and alternative therapy, however severe herniations may require invasive surgery.

The point is that low back pain, although common, is not all the same.  A careful review of the symptoms, history and physical examination will give us a clear understanding to the severity of the condition and what structures are involved. In some cases, addition investigation with imaging may be required to validate the working diagnosis.  Once a working diagnosis is made, a customized treatment program will be put together and explained to the patient to understand the process and outcome of the program.  Our low back pain clinic is geared to customizing treatment programs to your individual needs using an integrative approach to therapy that utilizes our team of manual therapy practitioners.

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or wish to book an initial examination for your low back pain.