Exploring 4 of the Most Common Causes of Back Pain

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A healthy spine may not be something you think about every day. But when yours gets compromised, it can affect many areas of your life. Certain types of back pain are common, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with them.

Muscle Spasm

Muscle Spasms are simply involuntary muscle contractions. They seem to occur randomly, but the truth is that spasms are usually preceded by a sequence of small strains to the structures of the spine. These strains ultimately cause inflammation, which sensitizes the nerves, causing the muscles to contract.

Back Sprain or Strain

A sprain is an injury to any ligament that supports the spine. A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. Both can happen during the normal course of everyday life, when you are lifting something, twist too abruptly, fall down, and in many other ways. Sprains and strains usually limit your movement and cause your back to feel tight.

Spinal Nerve Compression

Spinal nerve compression occurs when a bone, muscle or ligament pushes on a spinal nerve, compressing it. The nerve becomes inflamed and pain messages are sent to the brain. Many types of disorders can cause nerve compression, including herniated discs, thickened ligaments and osteophytes, also known as bone spurs.

Lumbar Herniated Disc / Bulging Disc

A herniated disc occurs when the contents of a vertebral disc are squeezed out through the disc’s outer layer. Sometimes, when the inner core is displaced, it can compress a spinal nerve, causing back or leg pain. If you are suffering from a herniated disc, it may be difficult to identify where the pain is coming from because it may not be located in one specific area.

All of these common causes of back pain can be addressed through chiropractic care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort, relief could be just one visit away. Chiropractic care does more than just treat the symptoms of your injury; it targets the root cause of your pain. Modalities like FIT, ART and massage therapy can help you feel like yourself again.

Our chiropractic team of wellness doctors, Vasili Gatsinaris, DC, QME, James Kim, DC, Adam Abulghualya, DC, BS, ART and Caprice Leonard, MA, ATC specialize in chiropractic and wellness care. Our Irvine chiropractic office is located near John Wayne Airport, convenient for people living in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Santa Ana and other surrounding Orange County communities.

Let our Orange County chiropractic team make a plan and treat your injury so that you are not restricted from your active lifestyle. To learn more about our variety of services or to schedule an appointment, take advantage of our Facebook new patient special and contact us or call 949-263-9003 today.

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