Back pain is the most prevalent of all musculoskeletal conditions, afflicting nearly everyone at some time in their life. It can occur from multiple actions, ranging from bending over to lift a toothpick off the floor to falling from a second story roof, or it can appear unprovoked.

Pain of any kind is natures way of telling you that something is wrong. One method of dealing with this pain is to silence it with pain killing drugs. But that is like punching out the check-engine light in your car. Ignoring this warning or covering it up with medication may only lead to further complications in the future.

Some underlying causes of back pain include the following:

Sprains and strains: Probably the most common cause of back pain, resulting from injury to muscle fibers, ligaments or tendons.

Disc herniation: The pads between the bones in the back consist of an outer layer called the annulus and an inner, jelly-like material called the nucleus pulposus. Tearing or weakening of the outer annular layer can allow the nucleus to bulge out or herniate, releasing inflammatory chemicals and putting pressure on surrounding nerve structures. This may occur over time without any trauma, as in the example above of picking up a toothpick from the floor. But this usually occurs from a lifting incident. Pressure on a nerve root can cause pain radiating down the leg, also known as sciatica.

Arthritic degeneration: Wear and tear of the nerve-rich facet joints near the back of the spinal bones are a common cause of back pain. The cartilage layer wears thin from various physical stresses, resulting in irritated nerve endings and pain.

Spinal Stenosis: when the arthritic changes to the spinal bones and joints cause bony projections to narrow the nerve canal between adjacent bones, this can cause pinching of the spinal cord and nerves. This can lead to weakness, numbness, tingling and muscle wasting in the legs.

Barger Chiropractic of Folsom has helped many people in pain with safe and natural chiropractic care. Dr. Barger’s specific chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy modalities (non-surgical decompression, ultrasound, laser, electrical muscle stimulation, etc) can restore the way your spine works, reduce the nerve irritation, ease the pain and allow your body to heal itself.

Call today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Barger at 916-984-9999 Folsom Back Pain Specialist