Back pain and all forms of spinal malfunction are poorly understood by most of us. This leads to delay in seeking early treatment, and can also lead to inappropriate diagnosis and treatment. Back pain is often referred pain, that is, the origin of the pain is not the back itself.
If you have an aching hip, the cause could be in your foot; if you get blinding headaches, you may have a problem with your jaw; your recurring back pain may come from your intestines and your sacroiliac joint may be the cause of your sciatica.
A Compromised Organ
The ileocecal valve, normally a one-way valve, safely separates the contents of the small intestine from the large intestine. When this valve is malfunctioning, the following problems can occur: palpitations, chest pains, back pain, pain in the right arm/shoulder, migraines, swollen ankles, hemorrhoids, arthritis, skin and digestive conditions.
When this valve is the cause and the malfunction is corrected, these signs and symptoms will disappear.
Stress and other causes can make this valve malfunction. The one-way flow of the valve is compromised and the toxic contents of the colon push back into the small intestine, causing irritation.
Associated nerve fibers become inflamed and irritated, causing reflex lesions of the spinal nerve roots. These occur at the spinal nerves of lumber 1–2, thoracic 4–5 and/or cervical 3–4, causing the above-mentioned symptoms.
Obviously, these symptoms can have other causes. Nevertheless, when conventional diagnosis or treatment fails, the cause may be a malfunctioning ileocecal valve. The incidence of this condition is quite high among those with recurrent back pain.
Slipped Disc or Sacroiliac Slip?
The sacrum and iliac bones form the sacroiliac joint. The pitted surfaces form interlocking irregularities, which limit and direct any movement. Yet, the joint is lubricated, similar to a moving joint. In the front of our bodies, about four inches below our navel, the pelvic bones meet with a "disc-like" cartilage pad between, to form the joint known as the symphysis pubis. This limited "play" in these two joints is important in everyday walking and during childbirth. The main function of this type of joint is to absorb the jarring shock of the feet walking on hard ground.
When normal joint play is lost, the pain generated can be agonizingly similar to—and is often assumed to be—a vertebral "disc" problem and can lead to ineffective treatment.
The causes of sacroiliac "slip" are various; a blow to the heel, uneven weight bearing on the pelvis, dental problems and childbirth are the most frequent. Clinical experience and studies suggest that 50 to 70 percent of sciatica and low back pain are associated with sacroiliac slip. The pain can be in the hip, buttocks or the thigh, since the pyriformus muscle in spasm squeezes the sciatic nerve.
Next week we will look at our jaw and feet as possible sources of back pain.
Robert Gibson is a retired member of the London and Counties Society of Physiologists. He co-founded the Body/Mind Clinic in Fife, Scotland, where he was a therapist for 10 years.
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