Lower back pain is one of the most prevalent health conditions/injuries to impact our western healthcare system. Statistically speaking, the majority of people within their lifetime will suffer from debilitating back pain at some point in their lives. The sad thing is, we don't need to suffer from this condition at all if we have the correct information on how the spine functions and how to best keep it healthy.
One of the most common injuries of the lower back is disc injuries; specifically, lumbar spine disc bulges. The intervertebral discs are the structures within the spinal column that sit in between the vertebrae (bones) of your spine. It allows for smooth movement into all directions without our bones rubbing together, and they aid in shock absorption. A disc bulge may occur in the lower back if too much continuous and repetitive flexing (bending forwards) is done through the lumbar spine, especially if it is done so with a resistance or load ie picking up objects over and over again. Even though our spines are designed to move in many planes of movement, doing the same thing repetitively with a certain way of moving, such as flexing through the lumbar spine, can sometimes aggravate specific structures. In the case of repetitive flexion, the lumbar discs in the lower back can become aggravated, and sometimes begin to balloon out to the back of the spinal column slightly, resulting in what we call a "disc bulge." This can be symptomatic, but it can also be the source of someone's lower back pain.
In the below video, we go further into detail on how to understand lumbar spine disc bulges and how to test if you are likely to have one; furthermore, we show you the beginning stages of a rehab plan that we typically use in the clinic to help you start becoming pain free.
We do, however, recommend that in any case you are suffering from pain or an injury, that you get your specific case assessed and diagnosed by a Health Professional to ensure that your rehab plan is custom designed for your exact case, allowing you to get back to doing what you love, pain free, faster.