This is a replay of the live broadcast with Todd Wegerski DC
Lumbar strains are the most common causes of lower back pain. We decide to cut down the trees in our backyard, or plow the back 40 using a mule (do they still do that?), or sit in front of a computer for 8 hours in a slumped posture. The next day we struggle to get around, can’t bend over to put on our shoes and socks, and run for the heating pad!
Lumbar Strain
Many people get the words strain and sprain confused, and use them interchangeably. So first some clarification of what the words mean. A strain is a tearing or stretching of a muscle. A sprain is the tearing or stretching of a ligament. So we strain muscles, and sprain ligaments. The way to remember this is to think of a ankle sprain. You roll your ankle, causing damage to the ankle joint ligaments = ankle sprain.
In this episode of our series “What is causing your lower back pain?”, we discuss Jason. Jason is a reasonably fit guy. Works as a programmer at one of the local software companies. He spends the majority of his day sitting on his butt in front of a computer. One weekend he decides to get a truckload of mulch dumped on his front driveway and spread that around with a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake. The next weekend he decides to rip a rotted deck off of the back of his house, and replace it new boards. Nothing that he did was overly strenuous, but it caused his lower back to go into major spasms.
We dive into the age old question of heat or ice, we discuss what is the deal with those topical treatments such as Ben-Gay or Icy-Hot. The good news is that these typically resolve themselves in a 1-2 week time frame.
Take a look!