Low Back Pain

Lower back pain, with pain spreading into the buttocks or down the leg can be serious. Often, patients in my office mistake these symptoms for muscle strains in the lower back. A good physical examination can shed some light on the issue.  Here are a few questions that I ask during my consultation and examination.

• What makes it worse, standing or sitting?
• How did the condition begin?
• Have you ever had the pain before?
• How Often do you have back pain episodes?
  
• What makes it better?
• Does the pain spread to other locations in the body, like down the legs?
• Do you have any numbness, tingling or other sensations in the legs or feet?
• Have you lost any bladder control?
• Do you get sudden sharp pains that cause the feeling that your legs are going to give out from under you?
• Have you ever fallen due to the pain?
• Does it hurt to cough or sneeze or laugh?
• Does it feel like one or both of your legs have weakness?
• Is their a dead sensation to your thigh or leg?
• Have you ever had past surgeries in the back?
• Have you been diagnosed with Osteoporosis or Osteopenia?
• What medications are you taking, both over the counter and through your medical doctor?

A diagnosis of the cause of your lower back problem begins with a good consultation, followed by a good examination, and if necessary, imaging such as x-rays or an MRI.  True, some lower back conditions can be muscle spasms, but my question to any patient is: What is going on in the spine that is causing the back muscles to spasm? The muscles, after all, are the slaves to the nervous system, and without proper nerve function and joint function, the muscles are going to be in spasm, causing pain.

Undiagnosed back issues lead to more advanced back issues. Lets talk, and take a look at yours, before it gets worse.

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Keith E. Biggs, DC

3617 E. Southern, Suite 8
Mesa, AZ  85206
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
biggschiropractic@gmail.com
Office:  480-985-3334
Cell:     480-375-0068