Fixing that pain in your back

Editor's note: Cody Scharf is the owner of Thrive Spine and Sport, a chiropractic and soft tissue clinic in Cedar Rapids focusing on sport and overuse injuries. Scharf is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and certified through Integrative Diagnosis for diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries.

By Cody Scharf, community contributor

Four out of five people will experience low back pain at some point in their life. That's an astonishing number.

For many, the low back pain will leave almost as fast as it arrived, but 50 percent of low back pain sufferers will have another episode within the next 12 months.

What if there was a way to tell what your chances are to suffer from low back pain or experience another episode? With these 4 tests you can.

Test 1: Straight leg raiser. Lying on your back, with assistance from a partner, or a stretch strap attached to the end of one foot, lock the leg into place and gently lift the leg as far back as you can. Your leg should easily reach perpendicular to the floor. Anything less than perpendicular to the floor is a positive test. Pain or 'stretching” in the back of the leg is not normal.

Test 2: Knee-to-chest. Lying on your back, grab one leg under the knee and try to bring it to the point when your upper thigh touches the ribs. This should be done with little to no resistance. Most commonly, pain will be felt in the front of the hip or the leg will be unable to touch the abdomen. This is a positive test.

Test 3: Lunge. Get into a kneeling position with one leg placed in front. While maintaining an upright position, lean as far forward as you can, stressing the back leg. Use a ruler placed in front of the rear leg and a level placed just in front of the thigh to measure. Normal range of motion is 10-12 inches. Anything less or pain felt in the legs or back is a positive finding.

Test 4: Toe touch. Stand upright with feet shoulder width apart. Bend forward and try to go down as far as you can go. You should easily be able to touch your toes. Anything short of this is a positive finding.

Any positive findings in the aforementioned tests significantly increase your chance of either suffering from, or having another episode of, low back pain. These are very basic, functional movements everyone should be able to do freely, and easily, no matter the age. Soft tissue restriction from adhesion, or scar tissue, is most common reason these tests are positive.

To help improve these tests, start a routine of some simple stretching and foam rolling. Retest these after a couple weeks to see if they have improved. If they haven't, or you find yourself still in pain, chances are you have a buildup of adhesion. Adhesion, when present, alters joint motion and function, and increases tension and stress in the low back. They can only be fixed with manual therapy by a certified professional.

l For more information, email Scharf at cody.scharf@gmail.com or visit www.thrivespineandsport.com