Back pain

The Lumbosacral Challenge

Little movement, a lot of sitting or incorrect posture - factors such as these cause our backs to suffer and it not infrequently makes itself known with back and lower back pain. The intensity of this pain can vary. A sharp and stabbing pain, for example, is a sign of lumbago. If the pain radiates, on the other hand, a herniated disc could be imminent. Back problems can also be related to congenital, hereditary or degenerative diseases, such as a curvature of the spine or a narrowing of the spinal canal. In addition, inflammation plays a role and can lead to conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis, a stiffening of the spine. Back pain can also occur in expectant mothers in the advanced stages of pregnancy.

Localize back pain

With the variety of back problems, it is therefore important in the first step to localize the pain precisely:

Lumbar spine: the area most commonly affected by low back pain is the lumbar spine. This is the lower back. Doctors refer to this as lumbar back pain. This part of the body is exposed to a very high load, which can lead to muscle tension, disturbances of the tissue or fascia, and even herniated discs. In the adjacent pelvis, overloading often triggers inflammation and pain in the sacroiliac joint.
Spine: Muscle tension and irritation, skeletal deformities or other changes in the rib-vertebral joints are the most common causes of pain in the mid-back.
Thoracic & Cervical Spine: If the neck region hurts, it is often a sign of poor posture. Muscle tension and stiffness are the result. In rare cases, inflammatory loosening, linked to a herniated disc, can also be the cause of this type of pain. They can lead to dizziness and radiate into the head, shoulder or arm.

Causes of back pain

Essentially, a distinction is made between non-specific and specific back pain.

Nonspecific back pain: It is not due to any specific cause and cannot be linked to any specific damage to the spine or to a specific disease. Instead, tense, shortened or overstretched muscles trigger the pain here. The most common causes are overstraining during heavy, physical work, one-sided movement patterns, lack of exercise, incorrect posture or being overweight. Psychosocial aspects such as excessive demands, depressive moods or problems in the private or professional environment can also be risk factors.
Specific back pain: In this type, back disorders and diseases are the cause. The most common include slipped discs, osteoarthritis, bone loss, bone softening, Scheuermann's disease, scoliosis, narrowing of the spinal canal, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammation of intervertebral discs, vertebrae or nerve roots following viral or bacterial infections, metabolic bone diseases and tumors.

Pain may also radiate to the back that originates in a completely different part of the body, such as the kidneys, abdomen, heart, pancreas or gallbladder.

Treatment & Therapy

In most cases, back pain is a wear-related disease, as well as non-specific pain, the cause of which cannot be immediately identified by X-ray diagnostics or magnetic resonance imaging, but which requires a detailed clinical or physical examination.

Exercise therapy is often the best remedy, because very often the complaints are due to lack of exercise and incorrect stress. Avoidance of stress and distance from the everyday environment and its movement patterns can also do good.

The team of doctors at the NUHR Medical Center works in a multimodal and multiprofessional manner and specializes in pain of all kinds, including back pain. We not only take care of the symptoms, but also specifically get to the bottom of the cause. Medications are only used where they are reasonable and necessary. However, our focus is clearly on special forms of therapy tailored to the individual. We call this the NUHR Med Concept. It is based on the three pillars of individuality, intensity and regularity of therapies. This can be, for example, a spinal therapy according to Dorn and Breuss or the back school according to Tilscher.

We are also specialists in the field of arsonvalization, which involves the use of electrical currents. Kinesio Taping can also stimulate the skin receptors and stabilize muscle tension. For expectant mothers we offer individual programs.

Let's stay in touch!

Subscribe to our NUHR Medical Newsletter.