Macrotrauma involves a more notable or serious injury. Generally the person sustaining such an event can recall the incident and relate the commencement of their symptoms to the injury. Some examples include the following:

• Heavy Lifting incident
• Heavy fall onto the back
• Motor vehicle or bike accident

Microtrauma involves less noticeable forces, is generally repetitive and can have an accumulative effect on the back over time. Some common examples are:

• Repetitive incorrect lifting 
• twisting and bending
• falls
• poor posture

Lumbar Subluxation or Misalignment - often patients with this mechanical problem are diagnosed with muscle strain, facet joint syndrome or a pinched nerve. These are simple explanations for a more complex problem involving mechanics which can invariably cause these phenomena secondarily. Lumbar misalignments can cause inflammation to joints and discs, affecting neighbouring spinal nerves and generate protective muscle spasm.  In more severe cases, pain can radiate into the leg and may involves pins and needles, numbness and or weakness.

• Pain can be sharp, shooting, a constant ache or stiffness
• Sitting prolonged can aggravate, and activities such as driving a car can be difficult
• Position change such as standing from seated can cause pain
• Pain first thing in the morning which may ease as the day progresses
• Pain on bending forward

More Severe Presentations involve

• Severe pain on movement
• Pain shooting or radiating down one or both legs which is commonly known as Sciatica. This may also involve pins and needles, numbness and leg weakness
• Acute pain pain which is debilitating in nature and may have you stand crooked or bent over, or unable to stand and weight bear
• Pain when you cough or sneeze

Sacral Subluxation or Misalignment -  The sacrum is the large triangular bone the spine sits on and is suspended between the two larger pelvic bones. A hard fall on the sacrum or tailbone, as it is sometimes referred, is a common mechanism for injury to this structure which can  compromise its articulation with the last lumbar vertebra, usually L5, or one or both of the pelvic joints known as the sacroiliac joints. Patients with a mechanical sacrum problem are often diagnosed with facet syndrome of the lumbosacral facets (L5/S1), muscle spasm, pinched nerve or sacroiliac joint strain.  The sacrum when dysfunctional is also a common cause of intervertebral disc problems such as bulge or herniation via abnormal forces it can subject adjacent disc structures to. 

• Pain is generally across the sacrum and can affect one or both pelvic joints
• Standing prolonged can lead to stiffness
• Sitting prolonged can be difficult

More Severe Presentations

• Inability to stand straight
• Acute pain disc pain
• Sciatica

Pelvic Subluxation or Misalignment -  Often patients refer to this as hip pain. The pelvic problem can generate inflammation in the sacroiliac joint causing irritation to local nerves.

• Can produce generalised low back ache
• long walking can aggravate
• Short walks can provide relief
• It can ache whilst you lie in bed and can wake you during the night
• Pain can refer to the hip, buttock or groin

More Severe Presentations

• Pain referring down the thigh and knee
• The pain may refer to the groin or testes
• You may not be able to weight bear or walk properly
• It may grab as you walk causing you to limp
• Sleeplessness

Chiropractic is not a therapy for low back pain. It offers specific corrective care for mechanical problems detected through a thorough spinal analysis. Restoration of function creates the best environment for healing and appropriate strengthening of weakened tissue.