Back Pain and Sciatica
Back Pain
Are you suffering from back pain in Ravenswood, Andersonville, or Lincoln Square? Low back pain affects up to 86% of the population in this country. It negatively impacts the quality of life and is among the most frequent causes of missed days of work and emergency room visits. Dr. Andrew Kiper, Dr. Samuel Pare, Dr. Ivette Mendez and Dr. Roman Lahr of Lakeside Spine and wellness, have alleviated back pain and restored mobility for countless patients throughout the north-side communities of Chicago.
Back Pain Q & A
What Causes Back Pain? Most back pain results from chronic flexion (bending, lifting, sitting) of our spines into poor posture. In much rarer seen cases degenerative changes, arthritis, chemical inflammation and or trauma may be the cause of the symptoms. Poor posture (which we all have) puts chronic stress on the spine. Improper body mechanics such as lifting incorrectly, doing improper exercises at the gym may also cause damage such as disc bulges to occur.
Degeneration of the spine which is commonly diagnosed on X-ray and MRI, is similar to getting grey hairs and is a NORMAL part of the aging process. We do NOT recommend our patients to get imaging unless red-flags are present that warrants it.
How Can Chiropractic and MDT Therapy Help Back Pain? The overwhelming majority of low back and neck pain is mechanical and discogenic in nature which means it originates from a damaged vertebral disc. This occurs in most cases because of constant bending, sitting or flexing. These movements or positions cause discs to protrude and irritate spinal nerves, which in turn, leads to muscle spasms and possibly radiating symptoms into the buttock or legs and even feet. The same scenario is responsible for most cervical spine (neck) pain, as well. Dr. Kiper and Dr. Pare utilize movement therapy (MDT) to both diagnose and treat these problems. Adjustments and massage are used to further enable patients’ end-range of motion to correct and heal the issue.
How Long Will It Take to Correct the Problem? Many patients have been dealing with back pain for some time before they see a chiropractor. Most chiropractors and physical therapy clinics will want to see you several times a week for 6 months or more. At Lakeside, we have a 93% success rate in typically 10 visits or less total. Surgery should always be considered as a LAST RESORT and all conservative care must be exhausted before surgery is looked into. A lot of the time patients who have been told by surgeons that they need surgery, fully reduce with the proper mechanical care and therapy.
