My MRI shows I have osteoarthritis disc bulges and degeneration in my lumbar spine. I feel as though all of my heavy lifting and work I put my spine through has finally caught up to me. Ive been to the surgeon and been told that a fusion is the only answer. Is there anything else I can do? ‘One of my recent clients’
Your low back has 5 verterbrae. There is a disc in the middle that acts as a shock absorber. The joints at the back are like hinges on a door that keep your spine in place. Ligaments are like blue tack between the vertebrae that help keep things stable. Your muscles stabilise the spine and the nervous system controls the whole lot. Due to the prevalence of low back pain our population, I have kept the information I provide simple. Any complex cases require review by specialist physiotherapists, pain specialists, surgeons and doctors.
Below you hear about all the most common questions I answer in the clinic.
Back pain and surgery is one of the most common things we see in the clinic. In fact 85% of the population suffers from this plague on modern society. Most of the time crippling nagging pain will sneak up on you over a lifetime. This is because most back pain episodes last under 4 weeks. That means when you rest the pain goes away and your not motivated to do something about it anymore.
Its pretty simple, you need to manage the amount of strain or load you put on those structures listed in the first paragraph.
The most common ways to accumulate strain in your spine are;
To much time leaning forwards and sitting.
To much twisting in a forward lean position.
Being overweight.
Operating machinery, motorbikes, jetskis etc.
Laying on your Tommy for to long (ie paddling on a surfboard).
Overtraining.
Having a bed with a mattress over 5 years old.
Repetitive heavy lifting.
This is where things can get a little confusing. All though your scan might show some damage in your back this is not the end of the line for you. Just like any other injury in the body, we have the capacity to heal. Unfortunately scans can only tell you that an injury occurred and not how recent it is. We know this because thousands of people can walk around with degenerated spines and disc bulges with no pain.
What I want you to get out of this is that even you are not your scan and I have personally seen thousands of people recover from scary low back scans.
The first step is to stop aggravating it. Write down all the times you notice back aching and link this back to specific tasks in the day.
If its your work, try and find a new way to do the tasks. If you cant avoid what’s aggravating your low back than you need a professional assessment.
If you want some tips to get started you can download my free report up the page.
This is a little different to your normal website giving you a technical explanation as to why you are in low back pain.
Most of the time you aggravating a structure in your back. If you can figure out what’s aggravating it and stop it, you will be on your way fixing to your pain.
If this doesn’t work, I recommend visiting this page on my website to download my free report.
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Ben Leyson is the only Integrative Physiotherapist on the Mid North Coast. He is trained in Ridgway Method and personally helped over 300 people fix their back and regain their life.
24 Bosworth Road Woolgoolga, 24 Marcia Street Coffs Harbour I Ben@bensphysiotherapy.com I Woolgoolga’s and Coffs Harbours Only Integrative Physio
