Is Chronic Low Back Pain Hurting Your Quality of Life?
Chronic back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and accounts for over 260 million lost workdays each year. In our practice, it is the #1 complaint of clients and is often a problem they’ve suffered with for years. Many have stress-related injuries or are suffering the consequences of years of office work. Without proper lumbar support, clients suffer every day with little hope in sight.
Most Common Causes of Lower Back Pain
Chronic lower back pain can wreak havoc on one’s quality of life. It can make simple tasks such as cooking in the kitchen or bending over to grab the newspaper seemingly impossible. While there are hundreds of different unique causes for lower back pain, these are some of the most common in our practice:
– Muscle or ligament strain – Back pain can be caused by a sudden uncomfortable movement that strains the muscles instantly, or it could be caused by a repetitive motion that puts a strain on the back muscles. Actions such as heavy lifting, hard labor, and swinging motions can all cause injury to the back muscles. This can also happen with prolonged poor posture while sitting.
– Bulging or ruptured disks – The discs in your spine act as a barrier between the bones in your spine. This keeps the vertebrae from deteriorating over time, but they can slip bulge, or rupture which presses on the nerves. While this does not always cause pain, it can lead to serious discomfort.
– Osteoarthritis – This kind of arthritis can cause serious pain, as well as a narrowing of the spine. If the spine narrows, the client has developed a condition known as spinal stenosis. Osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis are more serious conditions than others on this list and oftentimes need more specialized interventions.
– Osteoporosis – This disease is a well-known cause of back pain in older clients because it is often caused by the aging of the bones. Osteoporosis can lead to painful fractures, which often require medical intervention to heal.
– Other injuries and medical conditions can also cause back pain from mild to severe. It is considered severe or chronic if:
It lasts for more than a few weeks
It does not improve with rest
Spreads to other parts of the body
Causes weakness, numbness, or tingling sensations in the legs
Is coupled with unexplained weight loss
There are many different treatments for lower back pain, from simple R&R to medically invasive options to Chinese herbal medicine. Acupuncture is becoming a more popular, and effective, choice. Acupuncture has been shown to help thousands of clients across the world to reduce lower back pain with a non-invasive, restorative approach.
Many people do not believe that acupuncture is an option for them due to the costs and lack of insurance coverage available for the sessions. However, in 2020 this has all changed. Medicare has decided to include acupuncture as a covered treatment for lower back pain of all kinds. To combat the rise in opioid use among their beneficiaries, Medicare is opening its options to acupuncture treatment. Stand by for further co-payment information from Medicare.
If you’d like to learn more about the process of acupuncture or herbal remedies for lower back pain or our in-house process, contact us today. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Dong in-person or a video appointment email aculifeology@gmail.com.