Worldwide, back pain is the single leading cause of disability, preventing people from doing everyday tasks and activities. Back pain is also sometimes referred to as lumbago, which takes its name from the lumbar region of the spine.
Although Chiropractors can do more than just help with back pain, many people have their first visit to a Chiropractor looking for relief from back pain of some sort.
What is back pain?
Almost everyone will experience some sort of back pain at some point in their life – a physical ache, pain or discomfort occurring anywhere on the spine or back, ranging from mild to disabling.
Most people turn to the kind of conservative approach that a Chiropractor provides. In fact, this is what is recommended by many clinical care guidelines for back pain.
What are the symptoms of back pain?
The back is a complex structure of bones, joints ligaments and muscles. Back pain can range from a muscle aching to a shooting, burning, or stabbing sensation. In addition, the pain may radiate down your leg or worsen with bending, twisting, lifting, standing or walking.
Pain is our body’s way of telling us that something isn’t right and it’s always worth investigating, especially if you are experiencing pain that radiates into the lower extremities or the buttock. Or if experiencing numbness, tingling, or weakness in extremities.
What causes back pain?
There are many things that could cause someone to experience back pain.
You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture discs and irritate joints, all of which can present as back pain. Sports injuries or accidents can lead to back pain and sometimes the simplest of movements – for example brushing your teeth or picking something off the floor – can result in back pain. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity and psychological stress can lead to or complicate back pain. Back pain can also be caused as a result of diseases of the internal organs such as kidney infections, kidney stones or blood clots.
What is the solution?
With today’s growing opioid overuse and abuse epidemic and the risks that come with surgery, there has been a shift from leading health groups to a more conservative approach to dealing with back pain.
Many studies have concluded that Chiropractic care is an effective treatment method for back pain. Guidelines from the American College of Physicians state that spinal manipulation (Chiropractic adjustments), acupuncture, massage, heat therapy and non-invasive, non-drug options should be considered first options for back pain. It further states that only when these methods have been exhausted should a person move on to medication or surgical intervention.
So before thinking about an injection or surgery for back pain, you may want to consider Chiropractic care.
Some of the things that your Chiropractor would look out for and identify in their examination of you if you present with back pain are:
- Accidents and Injuries
- Arthritis
- Bulging discs
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Herniated, ruptured or slipped discs
- Inflammation
- Osteoporosis
- Poor Posture
- Pulled Muscle or Tendon
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Spasms
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine or Vertebral Fractures
- Spondylolisthesis
- Sprains and Strains
Chiropractors are trained to identify these issues, know when to refer out to another professional and will referring out when indicated.
Chiropractors look at the whole person, not just the site of your pain, to help them get to the root cause of the problem. At Peak Chiropractic Centre, we have our own in-house X-ray facilities to allow our Chiropractors to do a thorough examination and get to the root of your back pain. Getting to the root cause of back pain means that we can prevent back pain from getting worse as well as prevent any future occurrence of back pain.
How long will it take to get relief from back pain?
That all depends on your health history, what your Chiropractor finds upon examination and your health goals. Your Chiropractor will give you their best recommendations for care based on these factors. Most people feel relief from their symptoms early on in care, for some people it may take a little longer to correct the underlying problem.
Tips to Prevent Back Pain
- Maintain a healthy diet and weight
- Remain active – build muscle strength and flexibility
- Avoid prolonged inactivity – sitting or lying down for prolonged periods can contribute to back pain
- Have your posture checked
- Wear appropriate shoes
- Use appropriate mattress
- Use adjustable pillow
- Lift with your knees
- Quit smoking
- Set up an ergonomic workstation or better still, a standing workstation!
Because back pain is so common, there are numerous products out there on the market that promise to prevent back pain or give relief from back pain. Be aware! There is no evidence that special shoes, shoe inserts, back supports, back braces or specially designed furniture can help. In most cases, taking things back to basics yields better results. No one wants to suffer from back pain, and you shouldn’t either. Chiropractic care is a safe, effective, non-invasive, drug-free solution for resolving back pain.
References:
1. Rubinstein SM, van Middelkoop M, et. al, “Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain,” Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD008112. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008112.pub2. PMID 21328304.
2.Dagenais S, Gay RE, Tricco AC, Freeman MD, Mayer JM (2010), “NASS Contemporary Concepts in Spine Care: Spinal manipulation therapy for acute low back pain,” Spine J 10 (10): 918–940. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2010.07.389. PMID 20869008.
Chou R, Hoyt Huffman LH. Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain: a review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline. Ann of Internal Med 2 Oct. 2007;147(7):492-504.
