Chiropractic Care Makes Non-Specific Low Back Pain More Specific for Relief

Non-specific low back pain. Really? No one wants to hear their back pain is “non-specific.” Well, your West Palm Beach chiropractor at Chiropractic Care knows some specific characteristics of back pain like yours and specific ways to help contain and ease its pain with chiropractic care.

NSLBP CHARACTERISTICS

What renders non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) so non-specific? A recent review of research provided evidence of  121 movement and 150 muscular activity biomarkers to distinguish non-specific low back pain sufferers from asymptomatic people. (1) That information is key for diagnosing and treating non-specific low back pain. Researchers listed these issues as being contributory to non-specific low back pain: short hip flexors, low muscle activity of the gluteus maximus, and elevated erector spinae activity during hip extension in addition to weak endurance of the lumbar extensor muscles and irregular movement of the lumbar spine to compensate for the weak muscles. (2) Researchers have specifically investigated how decreased hamstring flexibility may contribute to low back pain development via 4 tests for flexibility and 5 for stiffness when examining low back pain sufferers. (3) Further, they also noted significantly poorer back extensor muscle endurance in non-specific chronic low back pain patients. (4) Restricted lateral flexion of the lumbar spine, limited hamstring range of motion, and reduced lumbar lordosis were associated with greater odds of developing low back pain. (5) A simple, easy test known as Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test measures lower extremity muscle strength, balance, function, and pain in chronic non-specific low back pain patients. (6) (It is not a bad exercise to do regularly either to improve all of these problems! Try them out after we examine you.)

HELP FOR RESTRICTED MOVEMENT

Chiropractic Care uses a multi-pronged approach to helping NSLBP patients with their movement. The gentle, non-radicular treatment protocols of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction Decompression are intended to provoke and restore normal ranges of motion to the spine.  (7) A lumbar support brace may be suggested. The use of a lumbar support belt enjoys a complicated reputation of being useful and not being useful depending on the author. Interesting! In a recent study, healthy persons vs non-specific low back pain patients demonstrated that two types of lumbar belts – extensible and non-extensible - had a beneficial effect on motor control in patients with nonspecific low back pain, suggesting they may be beneficial in sit-to-stand motion that is important in everyday living for nonspecific low back pain patients. (8) Exercises to strengthen the extensor muscles and spinal nutrition supplements may also be recommended to support your effort to get rid of and control your non-specific low back pain.

CONTACT Chiropractic Care

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Joseph Beissel on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for a patient with chronic low back pain.       

Schedule your next West Palm Beach chiropractic appointment with Chiropractic Care. We work to make specific what we can of your low back pain’s cause and its relief.