Low back refers to the lumbar region below rib cages, the pelvic region between two hip joints, and its' pain can also be the neuropathic origin.
Low Back Region Basic Anatomy
The low back region covers the lumbar spine and part of the pelvic region. The lumbar spine is composed of five spine vertebrae, and body weight is distributed through the lumbar spine to pelvic and sacrum.
The low back stability is fulfilled by co-ordination of transverse abdominis and segmental tonic muscle.
Common Back Pain Reasons:
Back pain can be deliberating, affecting up to 80% of the population suffering from significant back pain at some point during their life. There are certain factors predisposing for back pain, overweight, poor sitting posture, weak body muscle for keeping good spinal alignment, sitting for long time, etc. Most of the back pain cannot be diagnosed with clear pathology, and it would be marked as "Somatic Pain". However, there are few source that might be able to account for the most known reason of back pain.
- Sprained / Strained low back muscle
- Prolapsed Inter-vertebral Disc
- Sprained / Strained ligament
- Osteoarthritis
- Facet Syndrome
- Spondylolisthesis
- Scoliosis
- Lumbar Sternosis
Intervertebral Disc Herniation, Protrusion, Extrusion, Sequestration
Intervertebral disc pathology has the progressive degree of displacement. Intact of annulus fibrosis and degree of nucleus pulpous displacement indicate the severity of intervertebral disc pathology.
Here is DO and DON'T for PID patients. Do beware of posture when PID is suspected or diagnosed; Don't bending forward with turning trunk, as it would further push nucleus pulposus displaced. Do sitting with supported upright posture, it would help to relieve pain and back muscle tightness; Don't sit on a sofa, as the collapsed sitting posture would further deteriorate the condition. Do core muscle training, it should start ASAP; Don't sit for a long time, or putting on corset for too long time, as it will weaken back muscle and make the back pain become chronic.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Physiotherapy Help?
- Massage and Manual Therapy
Release muscle tightness, improve joint alignment and function.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Strengthening kidney meridian function in order to treat lower back,[Read]
- Exercise Therapy
Core muscle training and stretching. Promote injured tissue healing, improve stability and flexibility of lower back region.
Research Study:
Qaseem, A., Wilt, T. J., Mclean, R. M., & Forciea, M. A. (2017). Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 166(7), 514-530. doi:10.7326/M16-2367(Read)
Liu, S., Wang, Z., Su, Y., Qi, L., Yang, W., Fu, M., Jing, X., Wang, Y., & Ma, Q. (2021). A neuroanatomical basis for electroacupuncture to drive the vagal–adrenal axis. Nature, 598(7882), 641–645. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04001-4
Other Commonly Seen Conditions
