One of the most common injuries seen in our physiotherapy clinic is low back strain.
Low back pain from an injury can be totally debilitating. Fortunately in most cases, the degree of intense pain often does not correlate with the severity of the problem causing the pain. An example of this is a simple muscle spasm in your low back region can be completely disabling and can put you out of commission for several days.
Often the cause can remain a mystery for the victim of low back pain. Some of the common causes seen at our clinic for that mysterious onset of low back pain are:
- poor posture
- poor work ergonomics
- sudden awkward movements as seen in various sports
- participating in an activity you are not use to, for example, the first big snow shovel in the winter season or hours of gardening at the beginning of spring
- herniated or ruptured discs( often due to prolonged sitting or bending forward for hours)
There are many different treatments for low back pain but the treatment must address the specific cause of your low back pain. There is not one treatment or set of exercises that treats all back pain. Using ice may help when the injury is acute, in the first 48-72hours. After 72 hours, heat can be used to help decrease the muscle spasm.
Anti-inflammatory medications have also proven helpful to help reduce the inflammation in the acute stage of the injury.
Complete bed rest is no longer indicated for low back pain. Gentle stretches and easy movements such as walking help speed up the recovery.
Of course, seeing a physiotherapist will help you learn which movements and exercises are best for your specific injury and the hands-on work the physiotherapist can provide will help speed up the recovery.
Have you injured your back and need help to get your day to day life back to normal? Call the professionals at Durham Orthopedic Sports & Injury clinic to get onto your road to recovery today!
