Back Pain

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is usually associated with aging. As you become older, your intervertebral discs— the pillow-like cushions between your vertebrae—can degenerate or break down due to years of strain, overuse, or misuse. The discs may lose flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorption. They also become thinner as they dehydrate.

Discs act as shock absorbers of the spine and are made up of soft, fibrous tissue with a jelly-like center. Disc problems may vary from a mild bulge or tear of the disc to a severe rupture and commonly affect the lower back. Often, pain occurs suddenly and may increase with prolonged sitting. We have extensive experience handling patients with disc problems through the use of physiotherapeutic modalities, exercise, and light spinal manipulation.

Herniated discs usually occur in the neck or low back. A herniated disc can cause pain when the outer ring (annulus) or interior matter (nucleus pulposus) presses on a nearby nerve root.

Low back pain, in most cases, is associated with spondylosis, a term that refers to degeneration of the spine caused by normal wear and tear that happens in the joints and discs of the spine as people age.

Other causes of low back pain include sprains and strains, herniated discs, sciatica, spinal stenosis, traumatic injury, and spondylolisthesis.

At IPM, we will provide immediate treatment for low back pain through physical therapy exercises and manipulation.

Your sacroiliac (SI) joint is a big joint at the bottom of your spine. SI joint problems cause a different type of low back pain. You may feel this pain in your buttock or the back of your thigh. IPM often treats this type of pain with chiropractic adjustment. We also teach you how to avoid straining your SI joint and give you some exercises to strengthen your core muscles, which are the muscles that support this joint.

A spinal deformity in which a sideways curvature develops in the spine, and commonly occurs in girls during the growth spurt before puberty between the ages 8 and 18. This condition can predispose to premature arthritis, back pain, and respiratory problems. At IPM, our goal is to detect and treat scoliosis with corrective spinal manipulation, structural strengthening exercises, and physical therapy. Chiropractic care improves function and provides back pain relief but cannot correct the twisted curvature of the spine.

Back sprains and strains are experienced by approximately three out of four adults. Sprains are caused when ligaments—the tough bands of tissue that hold bones together—become overstretched or torn. Strains involve a muscle and/or a tendon. Either one can occur when you lift too much weight, play a strenuous sport, or even bend or twist improperly during regular activities during the day. The pain may be aching, burning, stabbing, tingling, sharp, or dull.