BOULDER AREA BACK PAIN CLINIC

Back pain is a common condition that can be caused by many different factors. Some may be attributed to an injury while others may not have any structural pathology or damage to associate with your pain.

It affects more than 80% of people at some point in their lives and is the number one cause of missed workdays in the United States.

It’s also one of the most common conditions we see in our the Boulder County LIVE LOUD back pain clinic.

Back pain is sometimes difficult to assess because of the many potential root causes of symptoms. Due to the prevalence of back pain, it is best that you seek attention and care from a specialist such as one you will find at Live LOUD Chiropractic to get an accurate assessment and evaluation as well as a well thoughtout plan for your recovery.

And if you’re suffering from chronic back pain and have resorted to daily over-the-counter pain relievers or given up on relief altogether, we want to let you know there is still hope.  Many patients come to us in the same position of feeling defeated and worn down by the pain and the medication is a way to mask the pain and somewhat function.  But that does not have to define you and the rest of your life you just have not found the right provider to coach and walk along with you.

From pregnant mamas to injured athletes, we are back pain professionals!

Combining chiropractic, physiotherapy, nutrition, fitness, and other therapies, we uncover and address the root cause of back pain to get you back to work, back to play, and back to Living LOUD (pun intended). Come see our chiropractic back pain specialists at our Boulder area back pain clinic.

Back pain symptoms are varied depending on the cause and the region of your back that’s affected. We all know what pain feels like, but back pain is characterized by more than a general sense of discomfort in your back and spine.

You can experience a persistent ache or a sharp, shooting sensation, which may be worse during or after physical activity. Other symptoms include tingling or numbness, back stiffness, and difficulty sitting or standing.

Lower back pain, spasms, stiffness, or pain that radiates down your legs can be a sign of a compressed nerve. There are a number of factors that may be leading to why the nerve is compressed and the most common of those would be a disc irritation or injury.

There are other factors that may be causing back pain such as kidney stones or kidney infections and while rare and uncommon, if you are experiencing intense back pain that is accompanied by a fever, chills, or have had a previous diagnosis of cancer you should reach out to you Primary Care Physician.

For anyone who has had back pain before we know that is it often accompanied by spasms of the muscles in the back.  This in and of itself can be the primary reason you are having pain but understanding why you are having spasms is much more important and why you need a Live LOUD specialist at our Boulder, CO back pain clinic to evaluate you.

These are just a few of the signs and symptoms of back pain. Again, back pain is a complex condition that can have many different causes so it’s vital to get an accurate diagnosis from a back pain professional.

Back pain is caused by a number of different factors. What is most important to understand though is that the majority of causes of back pain are not serious and benign. The percentage of serious pathology (fractures, cancer, etc.. is well under 1% of cases).

It is clear the repetitive stress to the back can cause problems and pain and that is part of what a proper evaluation and assessment should be looking at.

If your provider is simply looking for structural factors for the pain you will be sorely misled and mismanaged.

The pain cycle can be influenced and manipulated by what we eat, how we think, what our sleep patterns look like, and even our overall stress. So we cannot just assume that the cause is something that is repaired or fixed in your body.

There are times when an injury can occur and there is tissue damage either to the muscles, ligaments, or bones in the back. Again a proper evaluation will determine if that is the case.

There are also certain factors such as your posture, pregnancy, previous back pain episodes, that will all have some influence and contribution to what type of pain you may be having now and how you should be addressing it.

The most important thing to remember is that there is a way out and with a proper evaluation and assessment you can return back to your sport or activities stronger than ever and with a better understanding as to why the pain happened in the first place.

If there was no traumatic event in which the majority of back pain cases there are not then we must evaluate and determine what repetitive movements or behaviors we have that has lead you to where you are now.  And yes as mentioned above there are times when falls, slips, and accidents do occur and that is what starts your bout of pain. But again we must emphasize because many out there will tell you differently, the likelihood of something serious happening from those injuries is very small and you can start moving and rehabbing your back immediately and you should be, to progress and recover!

Here are a few of the common conditions and factors we see with back pain at Live LOUD.

Sciatica

Sciatica is back pain that often radiates down your legs and can be caused by the compression of the lumbar nerve root in your back. This is a very common condition and responds best and well with conservative management and rehab. If symptoms worsen or progress further down the leg it is best to see an orthopedic provider assist in your recovery, one of which we would be happy to recommend and co-manage with you.

Bulging or Herniated Disk 

A back problem that often goes undiagnosed and is fairly common. There is a lot of negativity associated with a bulge or herniation because most people associate those terms with surgery.  That is because many refer to these common ailments as slipped or ruptured discs.  What is best to know is that the structure of the discs are strong and can heal like any other body part.  We walk through with you the proper progressions to help you alleviate pain and rehab your back to return to normal function after a disc bulge or herniation

Tension

Back pain can also be caused simply by back muscle tension or spasms.  Again it is important to realize and understand that muscles only contract and spasm if signaled by the nervous system and often this is a signal that something more sensitive, such as the disc or joints are irritated or injured, and this must be addressed.  It helps to reduce the tension through dry needling, soft tissue care, or cupping but ultimately the underlying cause must be addressed and worked on.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy can put extra stress in places that you didn’t even know existed back pain-wise. Women are more susceptible to back problems in their third trimester due to the added weight, increased looseness of joints and ligaments, high levels of progesterone that reduces muscle tone, and hormonal changes that cause fluid retention.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative Disc Disease or DJD/DDD is one of the most common diagnoses for back pain. Why? Because most back pain does not have a direct cause or link and if there are no red flags the majority of providers and doctors will leave it to arthritis or disc disease.  Everyone has some level of arthritis and if your pain is one and off it cannot be associated with arthritis because arthritis or degenerative disc disease does not go away. While it is true that is still a possibility to have degenerative disc disease, research shows that physical activity and training are the best ways to heal or recover, and that is exactly the method we take here at Live LOUD.

If you are suffering from back pain, you need to start by identifying the cause. With a the help of Live LOUD provider specializing in back pain, you can determine if there are any underlying conditions that need to be addressed and what treatments will work best.

Using over-the-counter or prescription medication such as ibuprofen might bring temporary relief but are not recommended long-term. There are natural back care solutions that provide relief without side effects.

LIVE LOUD doctors specialize in these noninvasive therapies at our Boulder County back pain clinic. We will help coach you through your back pain and teach you about your condition so you can maintain and prevent future problems. Here are some basic tips you can start now if you’re having back pain:

1. Get plenty of restful sleep every day
2. Avoid positions or movement that aggravate or exacerbate your symptoms
3. Move more and in better ways that alleviate and make your back feel better
4. Take regular breaks when sitting for long periods of time
5. Master technique when lifting weights, understanding how to move 
6. Focus on all of the things you can do rather than what you cannot