How We Help with Lower Back/Leg Pain

Even though my work is done from the top of the neck I actually see more people lower back pain than neck pain and I think I know why.

The lower back is very strong.  It has to be, it supports 2/3 of your body weight.  But just think, all of those nerves in the lower back (as with ALL nerves in the body) need to eventually trace back to the brain.  From there, they need to pass through the weakest link – the top of the neck.

Every step we take is initiated from the core/lower back.  When there is pain in the lower back there is usually stiffness in the lower back and so it is only natural to assume that the problem is coming from the lower back.  But we need to remember, that every muscle in our body – whether it is “tight” and painful or not – is 100% controlled by the brain and central nervous system.

Because the spine is made up of 24 interdependently-related vertebrae any injury or condition in one area of the spine affects ALL vertebrae.  Aches and pains are part of life, but the important question for the lower back pain/leg pain sufferer is “WHY is the pain in my lower back/leg, and why isn’t it going away?”

As the DOG wags the tail (and not the other way around), the body will compensate by having extra muscle tension (oftentimes causing pain) in the lower back in order to offset a building problem in the neck.  This is often called the “righting reflex”, which is when the body struggles to keep the eyes level with the horizon, even if it is at the expense of one shoulder being lower, the hips twisting and one leg appearing shorter than the other.   

Our chiropractic office in Rancho Bernardo takes a less-is-more, zoom-out-from-the-trees and look at the forest approach to lower back pain and leg pain.  Lower back pain continues to be the number one cause of missed work  in the United States.  Our approach seeks to correct the cause and not merely treat the effects.