Stop The Ache And Discomfort
In Your Back

Lumbar Discs

The most common cause of low back pain is a problem with the lumbar discs.

These are cushions in between the bones that act like shock absorbers. They have a jelly like substance on the inside and concentric circles of ligaments on the out side. These outer ligaments are very pain sensitive and if the inner "jelly" starts to push into these outer ligaments then you will experience pain like you can see below.

So we know 60% of low back pain is due to the disc. So how do you know if it is disc pain?

• If the pain goes from your low back below your knee
• You have trouble getting up from a chair
• You’re not actually that tender to touch your lower back
• Just remember that over 50% of people who have no pain have a disc bulge.

Facet Joints

The next most common source of pain is the facet joints there is a 30% chance of these joints causing you pain.

• Firstly if you have pain getting up from a chair then this almost totally rules out a facet joint problem.
• Pain from the facet joints is away from the middle of your spine a little and can be on both sides, almost where the lumbar muscles are.
• Lastly if when standing you run your hand down the back of your leg and you don’t get low back pain this virtually rules out a facet joint problem.

If you’ve found that you do have a facet joint problem then you are best off seeing a Chiropractor as the cause is often what’s called an enlarged neutral zone. That is the amount of movement your brain allows before it becomes aware that the joints are moving.

This extra movement is what causes tissues to stretch and wear, a Chiropractor is able to improve the messages from the spine to the brain and give you exercises to improve your stability.

Sacroiliac Joint

The last structure is your sacroiliac joint.

These large joints can be tricky because they have nerve supply from all of the lumbar and sacral nerves so it can give you very diffuse pain.

However there are three easy tests that can give us certainty as to whether you have a sacroiliac joint problem:

• Fortins finger test. if you can point with one finger to the source of your pain then it is highly likely you have a sacroiliac joint problem.
• If someone presses down on the joint when you are lying facedown and it causes the pain then it may be a sacroiliac joint problem.
• Lastly lie on your back and drop the leg on the side of pain off the bed. if this causes pain it is another test that confirms a sacroiliac joint problem.