Bellevue Chiropractor Tells You Why Your Back May Be Hurting.

Written by Dr. Michael Weir Sunday, 01 May 2011 09:12

recent studies have shown that low back pain will affect upwards of 80 to 90% of all of us at one point in her life. What is the reason for this you ask? Well, there are many reasons one of which is the simple fact that as humans we carried the majority of our body weight above our waste. In fact we carry two thirds of our weight above our waste. This means that a man who weighs 180 pounds will carry hundred and 20 pounds of his weight above his waist. So, every time he bends forward to pick something up, and then straightens back up to upper right, he lifts 120 pounds plus the weight of the object that he picked up. Have you ever heard someone say that they injured their back unloading the dishwasher? It wasn't that plate that through their back out it was the 120 pounds and the weight of that plate.

recent studies have shown that low back pain will affect upwards of 80 to 90% of all of us at one point in her life. What is the reason for this you ask? Well, there are many reasons one of which is the simple fact that as humans we carried the majority of our body weight above our waste. In fact we carry two thirds of our weight above our waste. This means that a man who weighs 180 pounds will carry hundred and 20 pounds of his weight above his waist. So, every time he bends forward to pick something up, and then straightens back up to upper right, he lifts 120 pounds plus the weight of the object that he picked up. Have you ever heard someone say that they injured their back unloading the dishwasher? It wasn't that plate that through their back out it was the 120 pounds and the weight of that plate.

As if carrying two thirds of your body weight wasn't hard enough let's now look at what you're picking up off the ground. Physics shows us that a 5 pound weight when held at arms length in front of the body as a force equal to 50 pounds. When you bend over to pick an object up off the ground the entire force of the weight of that object is put right into your low back. Picking a 20 pound bag of groceries up off the ground improperly is equal to 200 pounds. At that to the 120 from our last example and you're asking for trouble.

Too add another pickle to this equation, most all of us that live on the east side and in Bellevue, have jobs where we sit for long periods at a computer or a desk. This lack of movement creates quite a lot of problems for our backs in part because it puts our backs in a very vulnerable position. Putting the back in a flexed posture, or a slouch, is one of the worst positions we can possibly be in, and we do it for hours on end.

In order to further appreciate why the low back is so vulnerable to injury, some basic understanding of anatomy is needed. When we're born, the back is made up of 33 segments of which 5 fuse by the time we're about 18 years old to make up the sacrum (bottom of the spine) and 4 fuse to make up the coccyx (tail bone), leaving 5 lumbar (low back), 12 thoracic (mid-back) and 7 cervical (neck) vertebra. These are stacked up on top of each other like building blocks and are connected to each other by a shock absorbing disk in the front and two smaller facet joints in the back, acting like a tripod. In the low back, we're supposed to bear about 80% of our weight in the front and 20% in the back but, if our abdominal muscles are a bit out of shape and the pelvis rotates forwards, the curve in the low back increases and overloads the back of the vertebra (facets) making them vulnerable to injury. The disk becomes injured when we bend/lift/twist. This can tear the outer tough fibers of the disk, allowing the central more liquid-like material to leak out. If this happens, the leaking or "herniated" disk can put pressure on the nerve that exits the spine and travels down our leg. If the pain pattern includes the back of the leg, it's commonly referred to as "sciatica."

now that we've discussed the basic anatomy of the spine let's jump into some of the ways that you can greatly reduce your chances of injuring your low back. Staying in shape is the number one way to keep your back from being injured. Also, stretching the low back and its surrounding muscles play a large part in keeping the spine and each of the bones in their normal position, free from injury.

We realize that you have a choice in where you choose for your healthcare services. If you, a friend or family member requires care for low back pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.