Back Pain | Sciatica | Bulging Disc

While running track in college Danielle Freeman started to suffer with back pain. For the last 16 years Danielle had continued to suffer with back pain. When she went to doctors they recommended she cease all activity. Danielle knew that would not be possible for her since she is an active runner and a physical education teacher. The pain would increase whenever she ran. Also, each time Danielle was pregnant the pain would worsen. Over the years she was giving painkillers, a back brace, and was mainly told the only thing she could do is take medication and rest.

Around 20 years ago Angela Price started suffering from lower back pain. Angela use to run a daycare out of her home and one afternoon she went to pick up a child when all of a sudden she could not stand back up. The pain was so bad she had to be driven to the hospital for a shot of Demerol just to be able to move again. Since that one incident 20 years ago Angela has been going to Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, and has done acupuncture. The relief from these treatments just didn’t last.

Dr. Jeff makes another visit to You & Me This Morning to discuss what you can do to avoid back pain this summer when your at sporting events cheering on your favorite teams. Sitting on a bench watching sports can put a lot of stress on your back. The benches at these events do not support your back at all. 

In 2008 Luverta Howard was lifting a tire in the trunk of her car when all of the sudden she felt all this pain shooting down her leg and in her back. The pain continued to bother her over the years. Luverta went to a couple different chiropractors but she wasn’t getting any relief. She couldn’t bend over, move side to side and could hardly walk. Luverta’s doctors told her if she wanted to go forward with surgery they would but she decided to do whatever she could before going under the knife. 

As the weather warms up most of us are pulling out our flip-flops and sandals. A bad pair of flat flip-flops can lead to back pain symptoms and can throw your whole balance off. Sandals and flip-flops offer little protection.

It’s gardening season! Is your back pain stopping you from gardening? In this clip Dr. Jeff sits down with Jeanne Sparrow and Melissa Forman to discuss what you can do to avoid back pain while gardening this summer. 

At the Illinois Back Institute we start off your visit with a free consultation. Then after that it is important that you have some imaging tests. Once we get your MRI we are able to pin point the problem area. From there we find out the answer to four important questions. 

Elyse Mills-Fletcher was suffering from constant back pain and multiple back spasms. Some of the spasms were so severe she would drop to her knees. The pain started in 1990 when Elyse was in a 6-vehicle collision. The accident was so bad that she was lucky to get out alive but ever since then her back has not been the same. After the accident her MRI showed she was suffering from arthritis throughout her whole spine, bulging discs, herniated discs, stenosis and a congenital deformity. Elyse was in constant pain. She was having trouble sitting, reaching for things, washing the dishes, doing laundry, pretty much anything that involved reaching and bending. 

About 5 years ago Candelario Rey started feeling back pain. The pain continued to increase over the years. He figured the pain was due to working at UPS over the past 5 years. He wanted to do something about the pain before it worsened. Candelario started going to different chiropractors and getting treatment. “Everything was basically the same where they would crack or manipulate the back and it would feel better for a while but this treatment here is…it’s something different which I like more cause it actually goes to the source of the problem,” said Candelario Rey.

Dr. Jeff makes a visit to WCIU You and Me This Morning discussing back pain and what you can do to avoid the pain. The main reason for back pain is usually due to repetitive stress as a result of repetitive bending. Some of the variables that you do during the day are going to add more pressure to your discs. Hip Hinges is the right way that you bend that will avoid loading pressure on the discs. Too much pressure on the disc causes many different back issues.