Spinal pain is tricky to deal with and can have a serious effect on one’s life. If you suffer from lower back pain, then you could be dealing with an array of different issues. Some may then affect other areas of your body and other problem points. It’s a complicated area of your anatomy and something that requires a lot of care.

Your lower back can take a lot of damage, so you need to ensure that you’re not putting too much pressure or too much of a burden on it. Everyday activities and sporting instances can contribute to lower back pain and sciatica.

Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is quite literally a pain in the lower area of the back. It can be a general unpleasant feeling that spreads across the entire lower back, but it can also be specific to one particular area. Lower back pain typically is broken down into two categories: chronic and acute lower back pain.

Chronic lower back pain is an ache or pain that lasts longer than three months. Acute LBP is a pain that begins after a significant event. You’ll usually head to your Doctor after feeling this negative sensation to avoid any further issues. This kind of event could be caused by lifting a heavyweight or dealing with an impact injury.

Sciatica

Sciatica pain is irritation, inflammation, pinching or compression of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. It is not specifically a diagnosis of one particular problem. It is, however, a symptom of a multitude of lower back issues. Sciatic pain will usually include numbness, tingling, or pain that stems from the lower back and runs down the back of the leg(s).

Leg Length Discrepancy

Some individuals may have one leg longer than the other (Leg Length Discrepancy). This can be assessed and measured during a detailed assessment with one of our Canadian Certified Pedorthists. They will determine if it is a structural or functional difference and can make recommendations on how to best treat it. If it is a significant difference this can be a major contributing factor to your lower back or hip pain. Custom lifts can be prescribed by your Doctor to help balance your pelvis and can greatly reduce back pain. Custom lifts can be designed to fit into footwear, applied to an orthotic or with a larger difference can be built into the outer sole of your footwear. These footwear modifications can make all the difference when dealing with a significant structural leg length discrepancy.

Orthotics And Lower Back Pain

Foot orthotics help out a variety of conditions all over the body. Lower back pain can have so many different causes, Healthy Steps can provide a detailed assessment of your lower limb to determine if custom-made foot orthotics can help provide better alignment and comfort. They have been shown to improve pain scores from a wide variety of different accounts. Depending on your foot mechanics, our foot orthotics can be used to control actions of the foot that will then move up the leg and towards the lower back. This can, in turn, help out the knee and the rest of the leg and lower back.

Walking is strongly encouraged with those who suffer from lower back pain. Custom orthotics can improve your gait, making walking more comfortable and helping to improve your overall mobility.

Custom foot orthotics will also significantly reduce the impact on the joints which has a positive knock-on effect regarding lower back pain going forward.

The foot support that custom orthotics provide will cushion the heels, toes, and the overall foot – this will provide relief from discomfort and pain that the lower back has to deal with. Your feet will be analyzed and a custom-made product will be created to suit your personal needs.

Get in touch with Healthy Steps today to learn more.