Back Pain Treatment in Knoxville

Back pain affects adults of all ages and even some children. Back pain can be due to an injury, like a recent car accident, slip & fall, or strain, or it can be caused by conditions, like degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and bulging discs. Treating back pain is a process that involves determining the root cause of the pain and then making adjustments to the body to correct the problem and prevent future pain. At Knoxville Spine & Sport, we help our patients get lower, upper & mid back pain relief. As the best Knoxville chiropractor, we offer a range of treatments for patients experiencing back injury and chronic pain.

LOWER BACK PAIN

UPPER & MID BACK PAIN

BACK PAIN TREATMENT & RELIEF

BACK PAIN FAQ

Lower Back Pain

Low back pain, also called lumbago, is very common and can be caused by a variety of problems. The lower portion of the back has the fewest number of muscles, placing much of the stability onto the spinal cord and vertebrae. This is why the lower back is the easiest part of the body to injure.

Causes of Low Back Pain

Low back pain can be caused by injury to a muscle (strain) or ligament (sprain). There is a wide variety of causes including improper lifting, poor posture, a lack of regular exercise, fracture, ruptured disk, or arthritis. Large nerve roots in the lower back that travel into the legs are typical sources of low back pain including large nerve roots in the lower back that go to the legs may become irritated. Smaller nerves that run to the lower back may become irritated. The erector spinal muscles may be strained. Bones, ligaments, or joints may be damaged. An intervertebral disc may be degenerating.

Symptoms of Low Back Pain

Pain can be achy and dull or sharp and severe, and is usually felt in the lower back, but can radiate up the back as far as between the shoulder blade region. Aching, tingling, and numbness can be felt in the legs if a nerve is being pinched in the lumbar vertebrae. Difficulty moving can be severe enough to prevent walking or standing. Sometimes muscle spasms can be mild or severe. Local soreness to the touch is common.

Common Low Back Conditions

Back Muscle Strain – is one of the most common causes of acute lower back pain. Lifting a heavy object, twisting, or a sudden movement can cause muscles or ligaments to stretch or develop microscopic tears. The pain can be achy or dull or become a severe muscle spasm. Sometimes tenderness to the touch can occur. Difficulty moving that can be severe enough to prevent walking or even standing may occur. Pain can also be felt around the groin, buttock, or upper thigh, but rarely travels below the knee.

Sciatica – this condition is caused when a nerve root in the lower spine is compressed, causing pain and numbness to travel along the large sciatic nerve that serves the buttocks, legs, and feet. This pain typically is ongoing (as opposed to flaring up for a few days and then subsiding). Pain may be worse in the leg and foot than in the lower back. Pain is typically felt on one side of the buttock or leg only, and is usually worse after long periods of standing still or sitting, and relieved when walking. The pain tends to be more severe, with tingling and burning, rather than dull. Occasionally may be accompanied by weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or the foot.

Degenerative Disc Disease – is a common dysfunction that can affect patients as young as 20 years old. When the lumbar discs between the vertebrae begin to break down, the damaged disc can cause both inflammation and slight instability in the lower back, bringing about pain, muscle spasms, and sometimes sciatica. This can cause a deep ache in the lower back that worsens when standing or walking and feels better when sitting, especially in a reclining position. Pain may worsen when bending backward or may radiate into the buttocks and back of the thighs. A tired feeling in the legs, and possible leg numbness or tingling especially after walking, is common. Tight hamstrings, making it difficult to touch the toes, can occur.

Lumbar Herniated Disc – this condition occurs when a disc degenerates and breaks down, causing the inner core to leak out through the outer portion of the disc. The weak spot in the outer core of the intervertebral disc is directly under the spinal nerve root, so a herniation in this area puts direct pressure on the nerve. The vast majority of disc herniations will occur toward the bottom of the spine at L4-L5 or L5-S1 levels. Leg pain may occur, such as the sciatic nerve being pinched, which can be more painful than in the lower back. There may be numbness, weakness, and/or tingling in the leg, as well as pain in the buttock or lower back. Nerve impingement can cause ankle weakness or weakness in extending the big toe or even cause foot drop. Numbness and pain can be felt on the top, side, or sole.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis – this occurs when the spinal nerve roots in the lower back become compressed, producing symptoms of sciatica. Lumbar spinal stenosis most often occurs at the L3-L4 and L4-L5 levels but can occur at any level in the spine. Stenosis often mimics symptoms of vascular insufficiency, which can cause leg pain with walking. The pain usually occurs in the low back and legs, thighs, and buttocks, that worsens when standing or exercising. Stiffness, cramping, leg numbness or tingling, or muscle weakness can occur.

Upper & Mid Back Pain

Upper and mid-back pain is something we here at Knoxville Spine and Sports deal with all the time. To fully understand the causes and treatments for upper and mid back pain you have to first understand what constitutes these areas.  The upper and mid-back are made up of the entire thoracic spine as well as the ribs that attach from the spine to the sternum. Needless to say, a lot is going on in the upper back and mid-back, and unfortunately, considerable vulnerability.

Common Upper and Mid Back Pain Symptoms:

Arm pain, numbness, or tingling:

It is important to note the relationship between the lower neck and the upper back. The nerves that go into the arm come from both the lower neck as well as the upper back to form the brachial plexus. Therefore, dysfunction in either of these places can cause radiating symptoms into the upper extremity. This is commonly due to a bulging disc or other types of spinal degeneration in the neck or the upper back.

Stabbing pain in the chest or back:

The ribs run from the front of the chest and attach the back throughout the thoracic spine (excluding the floating ribs). Commonly these joints can be subluxated, fixated, or flat out stuck. When this happens, it is common to feel a very sharp pain right over the rib attachment, in the back, front, or both. Some patients will say it almost feels like a heart attack due to the sharpness of the pain in the chest area. It will commonly hurt to breathe and twist the torso in either direction. This problem is typically resolved once the joint is freed up with a chiropractic adjustment or specific joint mobilization.

Pain and tightness between the shoulder blades:

Pain that stays localized between the shoulder blades and doesn’t radiate out into the arm, or around the chest is commonly due to subluxation or fixation of one of the thoracic spine joints. These joints can easily be overextended due to the wide array of movements that they encounter throughout the day. Much of the force transferred from the lower body and the upper body runs through the thoracic spine which can also cause an increased likelihood of joint and back problems.

How We Relieve Low, Upper & Mid Back Pain

Chiropractic Care: Chiropractic care can directly affect the joints of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and rib articulations as well as the joints of the collar bone and scapula. A chiropractic adjustment to those fixated areas will not only free them up but also make sure that joint kinematics are restored throughout the entire system. The estimated time to full recovery under chiropractic care in Knoxville varies depending on the injury but is commonly the quickest back pain relief. We utilize several soft tissue therapies to complement the adjustment and ensure that the muscles don’t continue to exacerbate the problem.

Physical Therapy: Our physical therapists use a plethora of different techniques and therapies to ensure that the complaint is comprehensibly addressed. Our physical therapists are trained in a wide range of techniques as well as several manual therapies to provide effective, efficient, hands-on upper & mid-back pain treatment.

At-Home Back Pain Relief Tips

The initial pain and acute injury are best treated with ice to decrease inflammation associated with joint and muscle pain.

Learning correct body posture is important for daily living and back pain relief. Learning this before beginning a strengthening routine is highly recommended. When able, begin a strengthening program with a trained therapist or personal trainer who can teach proper techniques to strengthen the muscles in the lower lumbar region as well as the muscles of the core. This will take the pressure off of the vertebral discs and spinal cord.