How are your hamstrings and glutes? I had tight hammies/glutes last year and my lower back was constantly out of whack. Stretching them, as well as your quads can help keep them from pulling your back out of alignment and causing you pain.

Tigerbalm works well, but man it smells like tigerass.

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Ignorance is bliss until they take your bliss away.

Core training, along with stretching.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Do a search here on ST. You'll find plenty of info.

Good luck.

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Matt Amman

   
I hope this doesn't offend any chiropractors on this site...but chiropractic won't help your back over the long-haul. It can help you get back on your feet more quickly when you do hurt your back, but it won't do anything to prevent further pain.

I have a ruptured disc and I suffered from what you describe, except at times I would be bedridden for extended periods of time. It started at the age of 20 and began to subside close to the age of 40 (when I ran out of annulus in my disc).

For years I avoided anything that I thought would put pressure on my discs. I finally got fed up with it and started to do heavy compound weight lifts and it got better rather than worse. I am NOT recommending you do this, as you'll likely hurt yourself. But the point is that you should find much improvement in developing some serious strength in your core muscles. These are you abs, obliques, low back, pelvic region, and upper glutes.
And as a wise previous poster said, work on your hamstring/glute flexibility.

"chiropractic won't help your back over the long-haul."

A lot of studies contradict this. It's not just only effective with acute LBP.

In some chronic cases it's not so much about curing as it is about controlling the symptoms. You can't do much to alter degenerative arthritic processes once they've set in.

Of course you'll get the most benefit with chronic conditions by also adding exercise and lifesyle changes as well.

Loaded question. Totally depends on what kind of pain you're having... dull/achy? Sharp/local? If it's dull achy, it's likely muscle related. If it's sharp/local, it may be a disc/degeneration issue and your sciatic nerve could be impinged. How old are you? How is your posture? What do you do for a living? Lots of things to know before anyone can really tell you what course of action to take.

Although I do think chiropractic is a valuable practice, I DON'T believe that it can work alone (one of the reasons I am in massage therapy school :). Typically, a misalignment is going to be perpetuated by muscular imbalance or weakness. IMHO, it doesn't matter how many times you get 'adjusted'... the soft tissues, ligaments and tendons that hold your bones in place are going to bring your body right back to where it started- unless you do something to change them. That means gait/postural assessment, strength training, stretching, etc.

If you think it might be a disc slipping or ruptured (in which case you'd be in A LOT of pain all the time), you should see an orthopedic.

Meanwhile, what most of the folks here suggested is right on: strengthening of your deep core/hip flexor muscles are imperative! If they are weak, your other muscles are having to work overtime and they will let you know about it!

Good luck.

That's more or less what I was referring to, but didn't take the time to say it well enough.

Thanks guys and gals for all the info I am 30 years old 6ft4 200 pounds. The pain I am dealing with is sharp when I first stand up and then it seems to get better. I am waiting all the time for it it grab me like it jerks my whole body. This time last year my belly button was near my hip thats how bad out of align I was. I am just gettin so tired of all this pain.

Sounds like a bulging disc touching a nerve. It's hell and it doesn't 'heal'. You can have good days and bad days along the way, but it will be another decade before the aging process causes that disc to shrink and perhaps pull itself away from the nerve.
Surgery might be in order. Everyone I know that's had the surgery is happy they did. My Dr. wouldn't do the surgery for me because the indicator is pain radiating down the leg. When the pain presents itself in the lower back, they say the long-term outcome is the same with and without the surgery.
increase your flexibility in the hanmstrings/glutes and work on strengthening the muscles of the core.

Also follow up with your Dr. and discuss options.

None taken.

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Matt Amman