Many times patients will come in stating they just have low back pain. But quite often, its more than that. Though they only feel low back pain, there is more going on. And depending on how long or how recurrent the problem may be, it could be much more. It’s not until we do a thorough exam that we may see what else may be happening. Low back pain is not always just low back pain. It could be a sprain/strain. It could be degeneration. It could be kidney stones. It could be degenerative disease. It could be an abdominal issue or a gynecological issue. It could be a pelvic tilt due to a short leg or pelvic restriction. It could be a loss of the curve in your neck and many more possibilities. Or it could be all of the above or a combination of them. Low back pain, most often, is not just low back pain.
I was recently talking to a patient. She was telling me about a time when she was at the beach. She was sitting in this little “tent” and she had this beautiful view in front of her. Waves rolling in and blue sky. Then someone told her to expand her view. She sat up, looked to the left, to the right and saw a long sandy beach with rolling waves, boats on the water, blue sky with sparse white fluffy clouds, felt a gentle breeze, heard children’s laughter, a truly beautiful scene. And this got me thinking, there’s always more than what we immediately see. So what may feel like just low back pain or just neck pain, can really be much more.

This also translates to each of us. We are not just one thing. You cannot look at a person and know the sum of who they are. Likewise, you are more than just low back pain, or neck pain, or whatever initially brought you in. That’s why at Crossroads, we look at the whole person. Because you are what matters.