Low back and Pelvic Pain
It is un-nerving to realize that 85% of people will suffer low back pain at some stage in their lives. Luckily, the majority of people will get better quickly with the right treatment and muscle retraining. It is therefore important to find practitioners who have a depth of knowledge regarding how to assess the lumbar spine and pelvic articulations as well as surrounding muscles and nerves, and who know how to treat the different presentations of back pain. A thorough initial examination allows us to determine what the main sources of your pain and disability are, and this allows us to direct treatment appropriately.
Low back pain has many sources:
- There is the person who has just hurt their back acutely from an incorrect lift or a sporting injury. Often the pain is muscular or due to a facet joint strain
- There is the person who has had a disc or nerve root injury and is struggling to sit or get their pants on, and can't get their muscles to hold them up
- There is the person who has had grumbling back pain for many years. Over time they realize their back pain is making them do less at home, work, and play. They notice they have less strength but any time they try to exercise their back pain gets worse.
- There is the person who gets back ache from sitting and standing too long, and has pain every night when they go to bed or get out of bed in the morning
- there is the person who feels there back is weak, and knows their posture is poor but does not know how to improve it.
Pelvic pain is often less understood than low back pain, and yet research shows that up to 30% of low back pain is related to dysfunction and pain coming from the pelvic joints, that is the sacroiliac joints and the pubic symphysis. Pelvic dysfunction often occurs after a fall onto the bottom or knee, a lifting injury, or may occur during labour. The symptoms of pelvic pain are varied, from pain with sitting and rising from sitting, pain in the pelvic and buttock region with walking or standing on one leg, groin pain, or even altered control of bladder function. Both the sacroiliac joints and the pubic symphysis can be involved, and can decrease the effectiveness of core muscle activation so that lumbo-pelvic stability is insufficient to cope with normal daily activities. This is why treatment at Sydney Spine and Pelvis physiotherapy always incorporates teaching you how to reactivate your core muscles while also focusing on regaining normal joint mobility and releasing tight musculature.
Dr Barb Hungerford has been researching the effects of pelvic injuries for the past decade and has presented her results at conferences such as
- 3RD(1998), 4TH (2001), 5th (2004) and 6th (2007) World Congress for Low Back & Pelvic Pain
- Australian Physiotherapy Association Conference 2006
- Australian Pilates Method Association Conference 2006
- World Congress for Physical Therapy 2004
To read more about her research click here
The team at Sydney Spine and Pelvis Centre are at the forefront of treatment, rehabilitation, and education for pelvic injuries and back pain.
