Affecting every movement you make, your back is central to overall mobility. Back pain can be acute, such as when lifting a heavy box incorrectly, or chronic, often found in office workers or truck drivers, who sit for large portions of the day. Symptoms of underlying back conditions may include a dull ache or sharp pain on movement, tightness or stiffness, pain while sneezing or taking a deep breath, loss of bowel or bladder function, achiness in the hips or pain or tingling in the buttocks, legs or feet. Back pain also has the potential to cause weakness in the legs while walking or going up or down stairs.

There are many structures that can cause back pain, including muscles, nerves, joints, ligaments, discs and even abdominal organs. Completing a thorough history of the complaint and physical examination is important to rule out more serious conditions, such as fracture, infection or cancer. If any of these conditions are suspected, a referral to your family physician would be warranted, and Dr. Plantz would contact them directly to ensure a smooth care transition.

While some back conditions require medical treatment, most back pain is managed extremely effectively with conservative methods. Disc herniations, acute low back injuries, chronic low back pain, rib irritation, muscle strain, and sciatica, to name a few, respond very well to chiropractic care and massage therapy, both cost-effective treatments with high patient satisfaction rates.