Causes of Back Pain and Treatment Options from a Chiropractor in South Lake Tahoe.

"During the last year we have had hundreds of individuals just like you coming into our clinic so we know chiropractic will work for you.  So, if you, your family, or friends are unsure, rest assured that you can come in and get adjusted today."  Dr. Josh
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530-577-5433.
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BACK PAIN
The complaint of back pain is among the most common medical problems. The spine is a complex structure that must move in complicated ways. There are several causes to upper back pain as well as mid-back pain. Although both upper and mid back pain are more rare than lower back pain, they can be nagging conditions that get worse over time. Proper diagnosis of the underlying cause is essential to proper treatment.

Lower back pain is by far more common that other spinal pain conditions. Understanding the cause of your back pain is the key to proper treatment. Because back pain is difficult for most doctors to treat, a better understanding of the causes of this problem will assist patients in choosing the right doctor to help you.

Causes of Back Pain:

Muscle Strain
Muscle strains are the most common cause of back pain. Patients may or may not remember the initial event that triggered their muscle spasm, but the pain from muscle strain or spasm causes more complex problems if it persists for more than a few days. Spinal dysfunction, strain on the discs and future degeneration can develop with untreated muscle spasm or dysfunction.

Ruptured Disc
A ruptured intervertebral disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain. How to treat the back pain from a herniated disc depends on the particular individual and situation. Our office utilizes a combination of treatments utilized to help people avoid surgery in the case of ruptured discs. Not every patient qualifies for this procedure, but of those that do qualify studies showed that 86% of those patients were improved from this procedure. If you have been told you need surgery and want to see if you can avoid the pain and risk of surgery, contact our office for a low back pain consultation.

Discogenic Back Pain
Discogenic back pain is thought to be a common cause of low back pain. Discogenic back pain is the result of damage to the intervertabral disc, but without disc herniation. These cases are many times frustrating for doctors and therapists as the patients are not responding to conventional procedures and the pain can be unrelenting. Utilizing a disc pain protocol, our doctors have developed a program that is helping patients get the accurate diagnosis of the discogenic back pain and innovative ways to treat the pain. Not only are our patients getting pain reduction, but our low back pain treatment protocolsincrease overall mobility allowing patients to get back to their full function. If a patient has been treated for back pain with little to no result, a back pain consultation with our specialists will allow the patient to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment.

Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis causes back pain in the aging population. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions. If the spinal canal becomes too tight, back pain can be the result. This type of pain many times carries with it problems with pain shooting down the legs, weakness in the legs, and occasionally bladder control issues. Although nothing can be done to open up the spinal canal in most cases, treatment can be done to improve overall function and quality of life for the patient suffering from spinal stenosis.

Spine Arthritis
Arthritis most commonly affects joints such as the knees and fingers. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement. Arthritis pain in the back can be treated successfully in most patients.

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