Most people assume that back pain originates in the spine because that’s where they feel the pain, and where X-rays or exams often show an injury.
As a result, many providers and patients focus solely on spinal treatments or surgery, believing this will provide a long-term solution. However, this approach often leads to recurring pain months or years later, despite doing treatments that were expected to be lasting.
Why is this the case?
It’s because the treatments didn’t address the root cause of the pain: injuries or misalignment in the lower half of the body.
In this article, we’re going to discuss:
- How knee, hip, or ankle injuries can cause back pain and back injuries
- Treatments and actions you can take to relieve back pain that was caused by knee and hip injuries
If you’re dealing with pain in your lower back, knees, or hips, waiting for it to get worse or negatively affect other areas of the body is a bad idea. You can schedule an appointment with us here to get started rebuilding your body and restarting your life!
How Leg, Hip, Ankle, and Foot Injuries Can Cause Back Pain
Sitting, standing, walking, and moving are complex activities. We don’t often think about how they involve almost every part of our body, but when one part of our body is not functioning or moving properly, it leads to dysfunctional movement. Over the course of time, if parts of our bodies are not functioning or moving properly, they can cause injury and pain in other parts of our body. This is what we call “Compensation.” It happens when one area of the body is weak or not functioning well, so we overuse other areas to make up for it.
Here are some examples:
- Researchers found that those with hip misalignment (where the right hip is higher or lower than the left hip) are more likely to suffer with lower back pain. The decrease in range of motion of the hips because of misalignment means that they often have to compensate for this lack of mobility by moving their spine in unnatural and dangerous ways. [1]
- The hip abductors are the muscles on the outside of our hips that control whether we can open up our hips and legs. Studies show that those with poor hip abductor muscle strength have more difficulty walking, which then leads to back pain. [2]
- When the core muscles are weak or not able to support the upper body, it can lead to misaligned and unnatural movements of the knee, causing knee pain. This knee pain can cause unhealthy movements that lead to back pain, creating a negative cycle of pain between the upper and lower halves of the body. [3]
- Studies show that those with patellofemoral pain (also called Runner’s Knee) have altered spinal curves compared with those without knee pain. Knee pain is directly associated with misaligned spines, causing more back pain. [4]
- A study in 2002 with over 800 patients showed that those with poor balance (weak hips, knees, ankles, or feet) are more likely to have more back stress and poorer posture. [5]
- Those with foot arches, such as flat feet or high arches, have unique spinal movements compared to those without them. This means that specific exercises and techniques should be utilized for those with unique bodies. [6]
As we can see, if we’re dealing with injury or pain in the lower body, it can affect our spines and back. This can lead to pain throughout the body that is difficult to treat and heal.
There’s good news: chiropractic care, rehabilitation exercises, and other treatments are designed to improve body alignment, ensuring that all parts of the body work together seamlessly. The primary goal of chiropractic treatments is to align the body so that no single part negatively affects another.
The sooner that you can fix misalignment, the better. You can book an appointment at Kaizo to speak with one of our experts who can help you determine what the best course of action would be to treat and prevent your back pain!
Treatments for Back Pain Caused by Knee & Hip Injuries
The main purpose of chiropractic care is to realign the body. That means that if certain parts of the body are not properly functioning, are immobile, or are causing compensations, chiropractic adjustments can help improve that.
Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to decrease pain, increase mobility, and improve function throughout the body.
At Kaizo Health our mission is to help patients get out of pain as soon as possible and stay out of pain long-term. Over the past 31 years, one of the major ways we do this is with chiropractic adjustments. You can see testimonials from our patients who have recovered from back pain on YouTube and Google!
When muscles and tendons in the lower body are weak, it can cause compensations and injury throughout the rest of the body. At Kaizo, we develop a custom rehabilitation plan for each patient depending on their body’s needs. We create exercises designed to increase strength, decrease pain, and improve functionality.
We have a custom app called Embodi, which provides the prescribed exercises and rehab techniques that patients can do at-home, making it easy to get stronger and decrease pain.
Cupping therapy is a treatment utilized to help restore bloodflow and mobility into damaged or injured areas of the body.
Cupping brings fresh blood into the area to break up adhesions, stimulate healing and relieve pain. It’s often used for tight or weak muscles, to break up adhesions, promote healing in sore muscles or tendons, and create greater alignment in the body.
To learn more about cupping therapy and what it can do for you, read our blog: “Cupping: Are Those Bruises Really Worth It?”
Dry Needling involves the use of a fine filament needle (like an acupuncture needle) to de-activate (relax) a Trigger Point within a tight muscle band.
Dry Needling has been shown to decrease pain, improve the signaling from the brain to the body, and create better movement mechanics to prevent pain long-term.
If you want to learn more about dry needling, read our blog: “Dry Needling Vs. Acupuncture”
Compression therapy is a treatment that restricts bloodflow to certain areas of the body. This allows for greater healing of injuries, reduce tension and soreness in muscles, and improve mobility throughout the body.
Especially for lower-body injuries and pain, compression therapy is extremely effective and reducing pain and preventing it from affecting the upper-body.
Each of these treatments can be beneficial on their own, but when combined, they work synergistically to enhance the body’s recovery. At Kaizo Health, we tailor treatment plans to each patient’s needs, utilizing multiple therapies for faster healing and long-term relief.
If you’re ready to heal your back pain and prevent pain from returning in the future, schedule an evaluation at one of our clinics in the DC area today!