There are some days where you may wake up with back pain whether from a poor mattress, bad sleeping position, or excessive exercise the day before. Sometimes, you wake up for several days with a consistent ache. If this pain persists for several weeks or months, there are underlying problems that need to be addressed. 

Northport Wellness Center explains the symptoms, causes, and treatments available to help those living with chronic lower left back pain. 

Symptoms

Lower left back pain can manifest in a variety of ways. You may experience dull, relentless aching, a stabbing feeling, or a shooting sensation. The pain may be so terrible you’re unable to stand, move in certain positions, play sports or lift weights, or move about your daily routine. When this occurs for long periods of time, it needs to be examined to determine the underlying cause. 

If you experience lower left back pain in conjunction with nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, tingling in your lower body, fever, chills, or blood in the urine, you should contact your primary care physician immediately. This can be indicative of a serious condition. 

Causes

Lower left back pain could be caused by a variety of hidden problems:

Previous Injury

If you’ve had a sports injury or been in a car accident, you may have long-lasting back pain due to fractures or infections from surgery. 

Joint Inflammation

The Sacroiliac joint is necessary to support the spine. If this joint becomes inflamed, you may experience lower left back pain, resulting in an inability to perform physical activities.

Soft Tissue Damage

When you overuse or overstretch muscles or ligaments that support the spine, this can cause soft tissue damage. This leads to inflammation and muscle spasms. 

Spinal Column Damage

These issues can be caused by herniated lumbar discs, osteoarthritis in facet joints, and problems with the sacroiliac joints. 

Internal Organ Issues

Multiple organ-related conditions can lead to lower left back pain. These include kidney infection, kidney stones, endometriosis and fibroids, ulcerative colitis, and pancreatitis. 

Treatments

There are some self-care measures you can take to treat lower left back pain initially. These may be taking a day or two off to rest from physical activity and utilize hot and cold packs to reduce swelling and relax the muscle. In addition to these actions, you need to visit your primary care physician. They can recommend the support and help that you need. Treatments can include:

Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger point therapy involves the use of multiple myofascial relief methods. Manual trigger point therapy and dry needling loosen the tightened muscles and improve blood flow in the pained area. 

Alissa McMorris, PA and Roxana Todirascu, MD provide trigger point therapy to Northport Wellness patients suffering from lower left back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, tennis elbow, and more.  

Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles at strategic points throughout your body while relaxing sounds or music plays in the background. This balances the flow of a patient’s life force energy, healing their pain. 

The Northport Wellness Center partners with Jason J. Kolbe, a New York State-licensed acupuncturist who has been practicing this Chinese herbology for more than 15 years, to provide acupuncture to its patients. 

Yoga

This treatment can complement others such as trigger point therapy and acupuncture. Patients participate in light movements to stretch out their muscles and improve flexibility. It also enables patients to destress. 

Melissa Jennings, LCSW-R is a Northport Wellness Center Alliance Member, who provides child yoga and mindfulness instruction to patients to help them with their mind, body, and soul. 

Chiropractor

Chiropractic care is a non-invasive way to address lower left back pain. During treatment, the physician will use their hands or instruments to perform adjustments on your body. This should improve range of motion and provide pain relief. 

The Northport Wellness Center has three chiropractors on staff: Dr. Alan P. Sherr, Dr. Michael Reid, and Dr. Frank McNally. 

Northport Wellness Center provides all four treatment options: trigger point therapy, acupuncture, yoga, and chiropractic care. Contact us to schedule an appointment.