What causes lordosis?
Lying down or sitting up: Lying down causes lower back pain while standing makes it worse. Sitting up helps relieve low back pain.
Painful activities: Activities like lifting heavy objects, bending over and kneeling cause lower back pain. These activities are less painful when lying down instead of standing.
Exercise: Exercises such as walking, running and jumping cause lower back pain while lying down make them less painful when standing.
How do I prevent lordosis?
Walking: Walking increases blood flow to your legs, which reduces lower back pain. Stand with feet apart and walk slowly at first, then increase speed gradually. You can also stand on one foot and hold onto the other leg while walking. If you have trouble balancing, try holding a dumbbell in each hand.
What causes lower back pain?
The lower back is supported by two bones called vertebrae. When these bones move out of position, they cause pain. Here’s how the movement occurs:
Lower spine: The vertebral bodies (the hollow saclike structures) are connected to each other and to the spinal cord through ligaments and tendons. They rotate around their axes, which are perpendicular to the spine’s axis (called its transverse plane).
Seat bones: The two hip bones are connected to each other and to the spinal column by strong ligaments and tendons. They rotate around their axes, which are also in the transverse plane.
When you walk, run, bend over or even sit down, your vertebrae (both lumbar and sacral) and your hip bones all move a little. Sometimes, a little too much.
When they move too much in any direction, they can pinch or tear their supporting ligaments. This causes a painful inflammation in the surrounding muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. It can also cause a pinched nerve.
The area between the outside edges of your hip bones is a common site for this pinching to occur. When this happens, the condition is called piriformis syndrome.
What are the symptoms of a herniated disk?
The symptoms of a herniated disk are different for different people. They also change over time. What causes your pain may not cause the same pain in someone else. Your symptoms depend on where the disk has ruptured and what structures it is pressing on. Common symptoms are:
Tingling or numbness in toes, feet or legs (commonly sciatica).
Radiating leg pain.
Weakness in leg muscles.
Difficulty walking or standing up from a seated position.
Clicking or snapping back pain when bending over or moving in certain ways.
How is a herniated disk (slipped disk) diagnosed?
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your condition. You’ll also undergo several diagnostic tests. These may include:
X-rays. A diagnostic test which uses invisible X-ray beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets and radiofrequencies to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.
Computed tomography scan (also called CT or CAT scan). A diagnostic imaging procedure that uses x-rays and computer technology to generate detailed images of internal tissues, bones and organs.
Fusion Vertebrae Test. A diagnostic procedure that involves the injection of a local anesthetic into the skin overlying the spine.
An incision is then made and a small sample of the nucleus pulposus is removed for testing.
Treatment for a herniated disk includes:
Rest.
Pain medications.
Physical therapy.
Injections.
Surgery.
What are the treatments for a herniated disk?
Treatment for a herniated disk is based on the symptoms you have and whether there is nerve pain occurring. You may need to try several treatment techniques before you find one that works for you. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment options include:
Rest.
Sources & references used in this article:
The role of lordosis. by L Beckers, J Bekaert – Acta orthopaedica belgica, 1991 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Film analyses of lordosis in female rats by DW Pfaff, C Lewis – Hormones and Behavior, 1974 – Elsevier
Lumbar lordosis by E Been, L Kalichman – The Spine Journal, 2014 – Elsevier
Expandable lordosis stabilizing cage by JW Simmons Jr – US Patent 7,879,098, 2011 – Google Patents
Straightened cervical lordosis causes stress concentration: a finite element model study by W Wei, S Liao, S Shi, J Fei, Y Wang, C Chen – Australasian physical & …, 2013 – Springer
Association of a lordosis-scoliosis-kyphosis deformity in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) with family structure by JM Afonso, D Montero, L Robaina, N Astorga… – Fish Physiology and …, 2000 – Springer
Epidemiology of low back pain in the elderly: correlation withlumbar lordosis by T Tsuji, Y Matsuyama, K Sato, Y Hasegawa… – Journal of orthopaedic …, 2001 – Elsevier
Effects of neonatal treatment with phytoestrogens, genistein and daidzein, on sex difference in female rat brain function: estrous cycle and lordosis by T Kouki, M Kishitake, M Okamoto, I Oosuka… – Hormones and …, 2003 – Elsevier
Age effects in kyphosis and lordosis in adults by JS Milne, IJ Lauder – Annals of human biology, 1974 – Taylor & Francis
