Low back pain

Low back pain:  Why do backs hurt so often? Why do they hurt so much?

What do we mean by low back pain?

Low back pain is a bit of an odd term in medicine.  Unlike most conditions which are named after a specific structure and what happened to it is a description of the symptoms a patient will suffer from.

There are a few good reasons for this.  Most importantly almost always the pain that is experienced is caused by multiple anatomical structures.  So some of the pain may come from the joint, some from the muscle and some from a disc or nerve. This makes the usual classification for this a waste of time but it means physio is a perfect solution to this problem.

Why does it happen so often?

If we look at a skeleton the low back is not supported by other bones.  It is a stack of wobbly blocks which needs to both be flexible and strong.  This is achieved by the muscles around the spine acting like the guy ropes on a tent.  Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect system and as such the back is vulnerable to injury.

The good news is at Pure Physio Albany we have a great understanding of how to maximise your recovery.

Why does it hurt so much?

The key components of the spine; the disc, facet joint, nerves and muscles all sit within a few centimetres of the spinal cord. Although it is mercifully rare that the spinal cord is directly involved in low back pain it is the body’s information superhighway.  This means if the back causes pain it can dump a lot of pain signals really efficiently into your brain.

This is a double-edged sword, the obvious bad news is your back can hurt a lot.  The good news is that with appropriate treatment even really intense pain can be reduced very quickly.  If you need treatment call 09 4481277 (on a mobile push the blue phone sign) or click here to book online.