How Do You Identify the Different Types of Back Pain?

Since lower back pain can be caused by a plethora of reasons, recovering from your lower back pain will be greatly based on the root cause of your lower back pain. There are some things you can try at home to attempt to alleviate some of your lower back pain, such as using hot or cold compresses on the area, stretching before and after physical activity, getting shoes that have better support, and doing certain exercises like swimming, wall sits and particle crunches as these can strengthen the core muscles and alleviate the strain on the muscles in the lower back.

If you find doing these things does not alleviate or lessen your pain, then it is important to seek medical care from a pain specialist so they can recommend other methods, such as physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic care, or medication-based treatments.

There are methods you can try at home to release the pressure in your lower back, with certain stretches that can target the area and release pressure through specific movements. Some movements may not be ideal for all people, and if you find doing any of these movements causes the pain to become worse you should make an appointment immediately with a pain management specialist so they can recommend different options to you.

These recommended stretches are the knee-to-chest stretch, supported bridges, the cat-cow yoga stretch, pelvic tilt, and hip rotations. These movements have been proven to target the lower back muscles, and these can be beneficial when done properly, in 30-second intervals, it is recommended to do this a few times per day to get the most benefits. It is also recommended to do stretches in the morning and before bed, since during sleep you may move around and potentially put additional strain on your lower back, if you have a hard bed it can also be beneficial to speak with your pain specialist to see if they recommend you change your mattress if it is irritating the area.

Since lower back pain has a range of causes it can be hard to determine without the assistance of a medical professional, however, the two most common causes of lower back pain are disc pain and muscle strain pain. They do have overlapping symptoms in the sense you will feel pain in your lower back, muscle pain caused from strains will normally feel dull and ache whereas pain from discs will be more of a sharp pain and can radiate to other parts of the back like the shoulders and upper back. Since discs in the spine work as a cushioning mechanism for the bones, when they protrude or begin to protrude they will put pressure on the spinal cord which causes pain. Poor posture and repetitive movements can also cause back pain that can appear similar to pain brought on by muscular strains.

Other causes of lower back pain can be from not stretching properly before doing movements, overexertion from moving things or doing things you don’t normally do, and accidents such as falling or doing a twisting movement that could strain the muscles or injure the discs in the back. Since so many of these things can lead to injuries involving the discs and muscles, it is always worth seeing a pain specialist like Andrew Morchower, MD, MPH, to determine the cause of your pain and how to avoid further injury.

At OmniSpine Pain Management our doctor, Andrew Morchower, MD, MPH,  is board-certified, and his medical team are known for not only providing top-notch care, but they have a record for understanding their patients’ concerns and providing personalized care to improve your overall quality of life. For more information, contact us today or book an appointment online. Our clinics are located in Frisco TX, Sunnyvale TX, and Mesquite TX. We serve patients from Dallas TX, Frisco TX, Mesquite TX, Sunnyvale TX, Plano TX, Garland TX, Forney TX, Cedar Hill TX, Denton TX, Balch Springs TX, and surrounding areas.