At any one point in time, up to 8% of adult individuals suffer from acute or chronic back pain. That's nearly 1 out of 10 people walking down the street. That's a lot of people suffering on a daily basis. But what makes up the many causes of low back pain? Acute injuries include mild sprains, disc bulges, muscle spasms, or vertebral misalignment. Chronic pain can be from car accidents, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, or nerve impingement/entrapment.
Pain patients are always looking for resources and treatments that can help to reduce or ultimately remove their pain. The first step is the proper diagnosis. Many physicians rely on X-ray images to rule in/out bone related injuries and medical sonography (ultrasound) to detect soft tissue injuries such as ligaments and tendons. In chronic and acute back pain, majority of the time pain is related to soft tissue injuries.
A major advancement in the health care field is the use of diagnostic ultrasound technology to assist in prolotherapy and PRP (platelet rich plasma) treatments. While determining the damaged soft tissue can be found with in house orthopedic testing and previous imaging, the regenerative treatment can be enhanced with the use of an ultrasound during the treatment.
Imagine you were painting a wall, but you were blind folded with someone guiding you with just their voice. At the end of the day, the wall would be painted. Now imagine taking the blind fold off and you could see all the spots that were missed. This is like having an ultrasound to assist with prolotherapy treatments.
Common Risk Factors For Low Back Pain
Weekend Warriors. Lack of exercise followed by an acute exercise can lead to muscle sprains.
Age. Joint space loss increases with age leading to low back pain.
Excess weight causes increased stress on the back.
Low back injury from a diagnosed disease such as arthritis.
Poor posture.
Smoking and chronic coughing. Coughing can increase the risk herniated disks. People that smoke are at an increase risk of reducing blood flow to the spine which could increase the risk of osteoporosis.
When To See Your Medical Doctor Or Naturopathic Doctor
Most acute back pain with improve with rest and at home self care. Contact your doctor if:
There is nerve involvement especially going down the legs
The pain persists beyond a few weeks
The pain is severe without relief
Causes weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
If the incident happens at work
You want a second opinion
When starting your journey into prolotherapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) for your lower back pain, find a regenerative doctor that has experience with ultrasound guided treatments to ensure the best recovery.