Female Lower Back Pain
Most times, when women visit the hospital for pain in various parts of their bodies, lower back pain is usually the most common. Why? There are various causes of lower back pain in women.
Sometimes lower back pain could get better with prescribed pain relief drugs. However, some lower back pain can be caused by an underlying problem and wouldn’t be fully solved until the main source of pain is taken care of. Read more to find out about the symptoms, reasons, and treatments for lower back pain in women.
Female Lower Back Pain: Overview
Pain at the lower area of the back can occur due to many reasons. A low back pain is often triggered by an injury, sickness or strain to the muscles and disks (the soft elastic tissue that supports the bone in the spine) located in the back. This pain often begins from the lower back and then spreads out to front pelvic area. Depending on the cause of the back pain, it can mild or severe. When this happens, movement becomes harder in day-to-day activities.
As stated earlier, the pain might get better with good relaxation and pain medication. However, seeing a physiotherapist is an excellent move when it comes to treating low back pain that persists. In worst cases, the patient might need a surgery.
There are various risk factors that contributes to lower back pain in females. They are:
Weight
Obesity is linked to numerous diseases and low back pain is not excluded. Excess body fat causes the joints and muscles to become weak as there is too much pressure on them.
Lifestyle and Occupation
Some individuals engage in jobs that require them to lift heavy objects. As they continue to do this every day, the muscle that is located at the back region gets inflamed. This is because lifting heavy objects puts more pressure on the back.
Also, a job that requires too much standing and bending, can cause low back pain in due time. These postures strain the muscles.
Age
When people grow older, their muscles wear out. Pain and stiffness can occur as the body muscles and disks weaken which results to less support at the spine. Due to this, many physicians advise people to engage in exercise to help the muscles stay strong. Some aged people often go for physical therapy to help their bones stay strong and prevent movement restrictions.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a spine defect that is common in children during growth spurt before they reach adolescence. It is a sideways curvature or twist of the spine. As children reach puberty, some of them might develop spine deformities that gets worse or mild as they grow older. This condition triggers pain at the lower back as the spine is not in its correct form. A change in appearance begins from behind as the spine condition progresses. Although, scoliosis can be managed, it doesn’t have a cure.
Overall Well-being
Some lifestyle choices can cause a higher risk of back pain. Smoking and drinking of excess alcohol weaken the abdominal muscles that gives support to the spine. Overtime, a heavy drinker might begin to notice that they cannot function as they used to especially with movements. When a person suffers from stiffness in the spine, it causes pain and lessens their range of motion.
What are The Symptoms of Lower Back Pain in Females?
Lower back pain symptoms can begin slowly or instantly. If the pain occurs instantly, you might be able to trace it to your previous activity. However, if the pain starts gradually and keeps getting worse, it could be caused by a frequent event that allows the pain to stay and even become bad overtime. In some cases, you might not discover the cause of the pain until you have booked an appointment for back pain therapy in Richmond.
Symptoms of lower back pain in includes:
Pain
Pain is the most common symptom that people experience with lower back issues. As long as you can feel the pain, you definitely know something is wrong. The pain could be mild, dull or severe. This pain occurs when the affected person tries to bend or pick an object from the ground. In some cases, the person might hear their spine make a “cracking” sound when they bend over or lay in specific positions.
Stiffness
Stiffness prevents the muscles from moving freely. The affected person might experience difficulties in standing up from seated positions, straightening the back and lying down. When moving from one place to another becomes hard, the spine could be injured or strained.
Spasm
Another symptom of low back pain is muscle spasms. Muscle spasms are painful involuntary movements that are caused by stiff muscles. When you notice that your muscles are cramping and twitching on their own, you might need to see a professional physiotherapist for an examination.
What are the Causes of Lower Back Pain in Females?
Low back pain doesn’t just occur without a cause especially in women. There are some reasons why females experience lower back pain. If you are experiencing lower back pain, you need to get the proper treatment. Some of the reasons for sudden lower back pain in females are:
Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea, also known as menstrual cramps is one of the common causes of lower back pain in females. This condition does not happen to every woman but majority of the women who experience menstruation go through suffer from dysmenorrhea. It is often caused by contraction in the lining of the uterus. Some women experience it before, during or after their period.
Women often visit their physicians to know the cause of dysmenorrhea but there is no identifiable cause. However, some people could suffer from dysmenorrhea because of a condition called endometriosis. The pain caused by dysmenorrhea affects the lower abdomen and lower back as well. For this condition, taking prescribed pain medications could help but visit your physician if the pain affects your daily life.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is another reason for lower back pain in women. About 80 percent of women experience lower back pain during pregnancy. This can occur due to the change in body weight and stature during pregnancy. Also, the body muscles become more fragile due to the hormonal changes. As the fetus keeps growing and the tummy becomes bigger, the chances of feeling pains around the waist and lower back gets higher. At this stage, pregnant women require careful physical therapy to help them feel more flexible and strengthen their muscles. However, always consult your physician before conducting physical exercises during pregnancy.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a gynecological condition. It usually affects the fallopian tubes, ovaries and the tissue lining the pelvis. Endometriosis occurs when the tissues that are similar to the tissues that grow at the uterus lining and found growing elsewhere or outside the uterus. This condition could trigger painful menstruations (dysmenorrhea), severe abdominal and lower back pain, ovulation pain, frequent constipation, painful sex, and hormonal imbalances. It is best to consult a gynecologist if you notice unlikely changes with your body especially hormonal imbalances and severe dysmenorrhea.
Posture
Bad posture is also part of the lower back pain reasons in female. Women can experience lower back pain due to various activities that lead to bad posture. This type of pain is usually one sided. It could either cause female lower back pain in left side or right lower back pain in female. Wearing high heels and standing for longer hours can affect the lower back thereby leading to pain at the lower back. If this continues for too long, the lower back pain could get worse over time. To prevent these bad posture situations, you can reduce the number of hours you wear your heels or get heels that are comfortable and not too high.
Pregnancy, obesity and overall muscular imbalances can put more weight or compress the lower back muscles thereby causing excessive strain on the muscles as times passes.
What Role does Physiotherapy Play in Treating Lower Back Pain in Females?
Physiotherapy helps to improve the muscles and promote body functionality. Physical therapists or physiotherapists are trained to work on body muscles and this includes pain mitigation on the affected muscles. Physiotherapy can help ease and improve lower back pain in females in many ways.
Lower back pain can either get better or become worse. Although ice packs and over-the-counter drugs might help in some cases. However, chronic lower back pain needs the intervention of a professional. Managing the pain without seeking help from the right authorities would only worsen the issue. Physiotherapy works best with early treatment.
On your first appointment with Cambie Physiotherapy Clinic, you will get a full examination on your general health status, body functionalism, flexibility, muscles and joint health.
These examinations would help your physiotherapist in locating the affected muscles and understand the level of pain.
Next, a treatment table would be specially created for you. At this point, your physiotherapist would walk you through all the necessary things that you need to do especially lifestyle decisions and other important factors that contributes to your overall well-being. This is to help promote ease, mitigate pain and promote fast recovery.
Depending on the degree of pain or muscle impairment, your physiotherapist would inform you on the various kinds of physiotherapy treatments. Your physiotherapist could introduce massage therapy or manipulative therapy techniques. There would be phases during your treatment where your physiotherapist would determine what treatment should be used.
Other female lower back treatment includes:
- Home remedies (a warm bath, an ice pack, good back support and mild stretching)
- Pain Medications
- Acupuncture
- Surgery
- Lifestyle changes
Why you Should Get Physiotherapy Treatment for Female Lower Back Pain in Richmond, Surrey and New Westminster, BC?
Our physiotherapists are properly trained to take care of patient needs before, during, and after treatment. They provide the patients with helpful tips that can make their daily lives easy while they are at home. Also, for fast recovery, our physiotherapist in Richmond is skilled at helping patients attain quick recovery. For more inquiries, you can always book an appointment.