Understanding Low back pain

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for consultation with the physiotherapist. It is estimated that the 90 of the population will suffer from at least one Low back pain pain attack throughout their life.

Before we talk about Low back pain First we must understand that the lumbar spine aims to give stability to our body. Transmitting the forces generated in our trunk and allowing the mobility of this on different planes; Mainly Flexo-extension, very relevant for crouching, shoeing, sitting, ect. This is why to maintain the health of our lumbar spine it is necessary that this is strong but flexible at the same time.

If you are talking about lumbar pain, you may think of the intervertebral disc and the famous disc herniation or protrusion. But, the reality is that in most cases of acute low-back pain is considered nonspecific, that is, it is not known with total certainty which is the source of the symptoms. There are several hypotheses that support that the inter-vertebral disc does not have to be the source of the symptoms; Like the fact of considering disc degeneration a natural aging process or that there are numerous asymptomatic subjects with herniated discs diagnosed.

There are several reasons why you may suffer from lumbar pain, and the first and most important is to discard symptoms that may suggest severe pathology (Red flags) such as a sudden and unexpected loss of weight, nocturnal pain that does not allow sleep, Urinary incontinence, anesthesia in the thigh area, or a noticeable loss of strength or sensation in the leg. In case of this type of symptoms it is important to go to your doctor for more research.

Instead, most patients with low-back pain often suffer severe pain that limits them a lot in their daily activities, such as brushing their teeth, putting on their socks, getting up after sitting long periods of time… And all of those symptoms can be significantly improved with proper treatment.

There are several recognizable clinical patterns if we talk about low back pain pain and each one has certain characteristics that we will be covering in this Blog.