Lumbar Injuries

Injuries of the lumbar spine are one of the more common reasons patients will seek the advice and assessment of a Chiropractor.

Much like injuries in the cervical and thoracic regions, lumbar spine injuries can present with;

• Different characters of pain (sharp, dull, achy, nagging, tightness, shooting, stabbing or burning)
• Different descriptions of location (unilateral, bilateral, deep, superficial, localised, or radiating)
• Different durations and rates of incidence (acute, chronic, semi acute, acute on chronic, recurrent acute episodes, recurrent chronic episodes)

While lumbar injuries might seem idiopathic in nature, they are typically the result of;

• Lifting loads beyond one’s physiological limits
• Sustained or repetitive flexion and/or rotation with/without a load
• Poor habitual postures and movement patterns

Common diagnoses pertaining to lumbar injuries include but are not limited to;

• Posterior central disc injuries
• Posterolateral disc injuries
• Neural tissue insult via intervertebral foramina (IVF) compression

• Facet joint strain
• Spondylolisthesis injuries
• Scoliosis
• Quadratus lumborum (QL) muscle strains

As with any case, it’s important to exclude potential visceral causes of somatic pain using the VINDICATE mnemonic.

Viscerosomatic presentations pertaining to the lumbar spine include but not limited to;

• Kidney pathology (infections, dysfunction, obstructions)
• Bowel & Bladder pathology (infections, obstructions, masses)
• Gynaecological pathology (ovarian cysts, salpingitis, endometriosis)
• Vascular pathology (abdominal aortic aneurysm)