Dr. David Koivuranta explains low back pain comes from the lumbar vertebrae, sacroiliac joints, and hip joints working together. A simple test involves pushing on each SI joint to find which side is restricted. Treatment combines chiropractic mobilization with stretching and strengthening exercises.
Chapters
So when it comes to back pain, sometimes people will say they have back pain and it's somewhere in the back, but we want to make sure that it's actually coming from what is clinically known as the back. So in the small of the back, we have 5 lumbar or low back vertebrae or bones with joints in between, and that sits on a big triangular bone in the pelvis, and that becomes part of the sacroiliac or SI joints. And then our hip joints attach into the pelvis. So when someone says they have low back pain, sometimes they truly do, and it is coming from what we would call the low back or the lumbar spine. But quite often there's also either discomfort or pain coming from the pelvis, including those sacroiliac or SI joints. And quite often they occur together because when one part isn't sitting or moving well, it affects the others because they work together. They work together for weight transfer, The body weight goes down through the pelvis, in the hip joints, into the legs, and they also work together for function. So if you turn left, it's not just one part that's turning, they all have to turn together. So quite often when we check the low back and/or pelvis for discomfort, where it could be coming from, we check the function of the sacroiliac, or what people call the SI joints. And on a very, uh, simple level, uh, but still very valuable level, we simply push through those joints. And quite often what we'll feel is that one side is freer. It's got a little more bounce or a little more movement, and the other side is not as free. And the patient can quite often appreciate that. They can tell that when we push on one side, there's some give, and the other side isn't— or doesn't have the same amount of give. And that's something that we would want to correct, because when joints don't sit or move properly, they can be the cause or source of that low back discomfort. And with chiropractic care and other forms of mobilization or manipulation, as well as self-care including stretching, strengthening, and stability, we can get some function, get those parts sitting and moving better, and when we do, that back pain is going to feel a lot better. So it's worth it to find out exactly where that low back pain is coming from so that the proper treatment and the proper self-care can be prescribed to get that low back pain better. That's your tip for the day from Dr. Dave at the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic.
