Lower Back Pain Treatment in Saskatoon

• Venture Rehab offers lower back pain treatment in Saskatoon and 19 other cities/towns across Saskatchewan.
• In Saskatchewan, a doctor referral is not required to get started with a physiotherapist for lower back pain treatment, but check with your insurance provider to determine if they require one for coverage.
• Lower back pain treatment via physiotherapy can help relieve (or ease) your symptoms and pain
• Lower back pain and disc herniation are common injuries that can quite often be managed through conservative measures such as physiotherapy.

Facts on Back Pain

• Lower back pain is “among the most common chronic conditions in Canada. Four out of five adults will experience a lower back pain episode at some point in their lives” according to Stats Canada.
• A sore back can vary from a slight twinge to a debilitating pain that keeps you from doing general activities of daily living and is often caused by stress on the muscles and ligaments that help support the spine.
• Lower back pain is classified as a musculoskeletal disorder and can include repetitive use injury, stiff back, generalized back pain, and sciatica.
• Common causes include poor lower back muscle tone (back and abdomen), sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, obesity, and improper lifting of heavy objects.
• Back pain is one of the number one reasons that people stay home sick from work.
• Stress and anxiety can make back pain worse.
• It is more likely to happen between the ages of 30-50.
• Lower back pain treatment can be addressed through physical therapy.

Back Pain Symptoms

• Can be localized or it can radiate to other areas of the body including in the buttocks, hip, down the leg and into the foot.
• Can also cause numbness and tingling due to irritated nerves
• Can be described as acute or chronic

The Anatomy

The spine has several important functions. The vertebrae form a column that protects the spinal cord from injury. The spinal cord has nerve roots that emerge through the foramina of the vertebrae. These nerve roots contribute to several functions and sensations in the body. Damage to these nerves can cause serious injury. In addition, a flexible spine allows us to move as we need to to carry out our day to day activities.

In between each vertebrae in the lumbar spine are our natural shock absorbers, the intervertebral discs. These discs help absorb the impact of our day to day walking, running, jumping, and movements. Without these discs in place, our spine would be forced to take the brunt of our day to day movements leading to more rapid deterioration than what already naturally occurs.

Individual discs are composed of two parts: an outer annulus fibrosus and the inner, more watery nucleus pulposus. The analogy commonly given is that of a jelly donut where the annulus fibrosus is the outer coating, and the inner jelly is the nucleus pulposus. The nucleus pulposus is has a gel-like consistency which helps to resist compression, keeping a nice cushion between each of the vertebrae.

Causes

The cause of lower back pain can be from aging as the discs begin to lose some of their gel-like cushion and arthritic changes occur to the spine. Other times, disc herniation can be caused from heavy or repetitive lifting, twisting or bending. There are things can predispose you to disc herniation and back pain. Some of those include: being overweight, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and men between the ages of 30 and 50. While you cannot control age or gender, you can work towards being more active, smoking cessation, and losing weight in order to decrease your risk of disc related back pain.

Injuries

Unfortunately, back injuries are very common. The most simple of injuries is an acute muscle strain of the lower back. Bending or twisting the wrong way, lifting heavy weight with improper posture or even sleeping in a bad position can lead to a pulled lower back muscle. Treatment is relatively simple and a patient with an acute lower back muscle strain can expect full recovery fairly quickly.

A herniated disc, however, can be a more complicated condition. Interchangeable with ruptured or slipped disc, disc herniation occurs when the inner nucleus pulposus protrudes through the outer annulus fibrosus. Often when this occurs, back pain will be reduced, but leg pain will begin or increase as there is now pressure being placed upon nerve roots that control sensation in the leg. Signs and symptoms that indicate that there is a disc herniation include:

• leg pain (sometimes radiating all the way to the foot)
• tingling or numbness in the leg or foot
• weakness in the muscles of the leg or foot

There are a four different types of disc disease which can contribute to various symptoms.

Disc Bulge

This is when a disc will bulge into the epidural space without any disruption. The nucleus pulposus does not rupture. A disc bulge is very common and likely will not cause leg pain.

Disc Prolapse

The nucleus remains contained within the annulus by only the outermost fibers.

Disc Extrusion

In disc extrusion the nucleus ruptures and escapes the containment of the the annulus fibrosus. It invades the epidural space while remaining connected to the disc. This can cause nerve root irritation and leg pain. When a patient is told they have an “annular tear” that refers to disruption of the annular ligament due to the nucleus.

Sequestered Disc

In a sequestered disc, pieces of not only the nucleus but the annulus as well have invaded spaces outside of the disc. Nerve root irritation is very common which results in leg and foot pain, weakness, and/or numbness.

Severe Lower Spine Conditions

The most severe results of a sequestered disc can cause Cauda Equina Syndrome, which is when the nerves of the the end of the spinal cord become irritated. Cauda Equine Syndrome is a medical emergency. Contact a physician immediately should you think you have cauda equina syndrome. Symptoms include, leg pain or weakness that continues to get worse, loss of bowel or bladder control and “saddle parathesia” which refers to numbness in the areas that would make contact when riding in a saddle.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease refers to the changes in the spine, loss of disc space, and arthritic changes that occur as a person ages. A 2009 research study revealed that 40% of individuals in the study between 18-30 had evidence of lumbar degenerative disc disease on an MRI and the number jumping to over 90% of 50-55 year olds regardless of whether the individual had back pain or not.

Too often, patients will have back pain, a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease by diagnostic imaging, and will conclude that they will have back problems for the rest of their lives. This is simply not the case. There are many treatment options to relieve pain of degenerating discs and lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

Lower Back Pain Treatment

Lower back pain treatment via physiotherapy can speed up your recovery process and help prevent any future problems. A physical examination of your back muscles and spine by Venture Rehab university trained physical therapists can help determine the underlying cause of your backache. Once diagnosed we will work as a team to design a tailored treatment plan that can include but is not limited to:

• Exercises to increase function
• Passive therapy (hot & cold therapy, ultrasound, TENS machine) and manual therapy mobilization and manipulation
• Physiotherapy exercises to strengthen weak back muscles (providing better posture control)
• Stretching programs to help manage pain
• Education and tips
• Dry Needling
• Lifestyle Modification and exercise program to increase physical activity

The advances in medicine and technology have improved lower back pain treatment options for lower back pain. For acute muscular strains, a physical therapist will almost always be able to treat the condition quickly using manual techniques such as manipulations, mobilizations, and trigger point dry needling in combination with stretches the patient can perform at home.

The old school of thought used to be that a disc herniation or disc bulge would almost always be treated with surgery. However, research shows that most cases can be conservatively managed. Combinations of physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and epidural injections can successfully manage lower back pain.

What Happens If I Ignore My Lower Back Pain Treatment?

The biggest problem with lower back pain is that your spine is the center from which the rest of your body operates. Untreated back pain can turn into sciatica—nerve irritation that can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the legs and feet. Untreated lower back pain can result in hip, knee, and ankle pain as the body compensates for the pain using poor body mechanics.

What Can Physical Therapy Do for My Lower Back Pain?

Physical therapists are highly skilled in treating lower back pain—it is very common, so physical therapists frequently treat it. Back pain can be often attributed to muscle imbalances throughout the trunk and lower extremity. Your physical therapist will likely stretch hip muscles such as the piriformis, the hamstrings and the hip flexors. If the hips are inflexible, the body relies on the spine for movements that should be performed at the hips.

Additionally, a physical therapist will work with you on core stability exercises. Even people with defined abdominal muscles can have poor control over them when it comes to engaging them for lifting and strenuous activity. Your physical therapist will work with you to improve your core stability which will in turn take the pressure off of the muscles of the lower back.

Book Your Lower Back Pain Treatment & Start Feeling Better Today!

It is no secret that lower back pain is a common problem, however just how prevalent is surprising. A staggering 83 percent of Canadians have reported an incidence of lower back pain at some point in their lifetime. Old lower back pain treatment previously primarily consisted of resting, maybe taking a muscle relaxer, and getting over it with time. Thankfully, medical providers have a much greater understanding of back pain, its cause, and the best treatment plans to tackle the lower back pain epidemic.

Now that you are well versed on the ins and outs, do not hesitate to contact Venture Rehab to schedule your appointment today to help with your back pain treatment.

Don’t let this condition keep you from doing the leisure activities you love or from fulfilling your work commitments. Seeing a physical therapist at the onset has been proved to speed up recovery and also prevent the problem from reoccurring.

With 19 clinics across Saskatchewan, you can get started the same day you call, no doctor’s referral needed. Find a clinic near you to book your appointment today. Let our university trained physical therapists, occupational therapists and exercise therapists help you recover quickly!

Venture Rehab is a team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and exercise therapists serving Saskatoon and surrounding areas. We want to assist with your lower back pain treatment.

Our university-trained physiotherapists can help. Take control of your physical health, relieve your pain, and regain your strength.

Previously known as Bourassa and Associates, we’ve been delivering professional multidisciplinary rehabilitation services since 1986. We integrate orthopaedic manual therapy within a functional rehabilitation model to ensure our patients obtain optimal recovery.