Lower Back Pain

What is lower back pain?

Lower back pain is a feeling of discomfort that occurs in the lower part of your back or spine. It could appear suddenly with an injury or slowly. Back pain can be quite mild or it can be severe.  Lower back pain might present as:

• Dull, aching pain
• Sharp or shooting pain
• Stiffness
• Muscle aches
• Radiating pain down your leg
• Decreased range of motion
• Pain when standing, bending, or moving

If lower back pain doesn’t get better on its own after a day or two or causes extreme discomfort, see the Fountain Valley Physical Medicine team for an evaluation.

What causes lower back pain?

To find the root cause of lower back pain, the Fountain Valley Physical Medicine team reviews your symptoms and medical history. They complete a physical exam and can use X-rays, MRIs, or other imaging procedures to pinpoint the cause of your discomfort.

Lower back pain can result from:

• A ruptured spinal disc
• Ligament or muscle strains
• Scoliosis or other skeletal irregularities
• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis

Risk factors for lower back injuries include older age, being overweight, improper heavy-lifting techniques, smoking, and lack of exercise.

How is back pain treated?

Your personalized lower back pain treatment can include:

Disc decompression traction

Spinal decompression traction works by gently stretching your spine to change its position. Decompression takes the pressure off of the spinal discs and eases the pain associated with nerve pressure.

Chiropractic adjustments

Your provider can use chiropractic adjustments — gentle manipulation techniques — to realign your spine and ease lower back pain.

Regenerative Therapy

Your chiropractic specialist offers regenerative therapy to ease muscle pain and speed up healing.

Therapeutic massage

Therapeutic massage helps reduce tight muscle fibers, relieve tension, speed healing, and improve blood flow in tissues in your lower back.

Muscle stimulation

During muscle stimulation, your chiropractic team stimulates muscle tissues with radio pulse and rapid pulse waves to promote blood flow, reduce pain and swelling, and relieve tension.

Laser therapy

The Fountain Valley Physical Medicine team offers K-laser therapy, also called high-power laser therapy, which uses light energy to stimulate your body’s natural healing process and reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Physical therapy

Your Fountain Valley Physical Medicine provider offers a series of postural movements, structural corrective traction, and strength and flexibility exercises to strengthen tissues in your back, help you heal, and prevent re-injury.

Don’t live with lower back pain or take addictive pain medicines when simple, holistic solutions are available at Fountain Valley Physical Medicine. Schedule an appointment over the phone or online for relief today.