All the nerves that supply the lower body including the legs come from the spinal cord. They  leave the spinal cord between the vertebrae and then each nerve follows its own course depending on what it supplies. As the nerves leave the spine, they can become irritated, trapped or impinged. This can cause pain, altered sensation such as pins and needles or even numbness and weakness if the nerve impingement is severe. Nerves can be irritated if there is inflammation around the lumbar discs or joint. If there are severe disc bulges or joint arthritis the nerve can become compressed. Treatment for this condition involves reducing the inflammation, restoring normal joint movement and mobilising the affected nerves.

Treatment of spinal pain depends on the complete assessment of all structures that could be involved, as described above. Rehabilitation of spinal pain can include a combination of massage techniques, joint mobilisations and manipulations, taping, individualised exercise programmes, acupuncture, dry needling and in more severe cases oral or injected anti-inflammatory medication and/or muscle relaxants.

At BodyMed we treat the symptoms of lower back pain as well as manage the underlying causes. This will ensure you get better as quickly and safely as possible and will give you the knowledge to help prevent injury recurrence.