By Sam Sullivan
Chronic back pain is one of the biggest problems Americans face today and affects eight out of ten people at some point in their lives. Even though back pain is common, the level of severity varies. Sometimes, the pain is minor and causes only slight discomfort during the day. Other times the pain can be debilitating and keep you from living a normal, fully functioning life like you want.
We see it every day at Advanced Chiropractic Solutions: patients with varying levels of back pain, and different possible conditions that can cause or exacerbate it. We’re always happy to help these people with chiropractic solutions to their problems; we take pride in understanding how the entire body works together, and what can be done. But it’s always better to prevent the pain in the first place. So, what causes back pain, and what can be done to alleviate it?
A variety of different conditions are responsible for discomfort in various regions of your back. These include sprained ligaments, strained muscles, trigger points, arthritis, ruptured disks, inflamed joints, sport injuries, and many more. Some risk factors for back pain include:
- Age: Back pain is common as you get older, starting between ages 30-40.
- Lack of exercise: Unused muscles in your back and core can lead to back pain
- Excess weight: Extra body weight stresses your back
- Diseases: Some types of arthritis and cancer can contribute to back pain
- Improper lifting: Using the back instead of the legs can lead to pain
- Smoking
Many people report having accidents, falls, or trauma that led to ongoing backpain that must then be managed. Sports injuries are some of the most common, as well. Poor posture and incorrect position during physical exertion is also a cause of strain and pain.
Once a back injury occurs, it can feel like it will persist forever. It’s often a struggle to work around the pain, or to take steps to prevent further strain and injury in the affected regions. Whether it’s a strained ligament or a ruptured disc, the discomfort can lead to changed life behaviors that increase stress, depression, and anxiety.
But it doesn’t have to.
Exercising, physical activity, a healthy diet, and regular physicals or chiropractic adjustments can help prevent back pain from occurring. Good posture at work or when sitting, getting up and moving more often, and regularly stretching and doing activities like yoga can help alleviate or prevent back pain entirely. Yoga remains a popular physical exercise, as it combines the mind and the whole person to strengthen the mind-muscle connection.
Regular spinal manipulation and chiropractic adjustments can work wonders for all manner of back pain. Other terms for chiropractic adjustments are:
- Chiropractic manipulation
- Manual manipulation
- Spinal manipulation
The adjustment refers to the manipulation of the vertebrae that has abnormal movements and are not functioning properly. A chiropractic adjustment will assist in alleviating these issues.
Other solutions include massage therapy, acupuncture, and wellness care. We offer all of them at Advanced Chiropractic Solutions because they have the ability to treat the widest range of people. Massage therapy has proven extremely effective. Our massage therapist is trained and licensed to examine, evaluate, diagnose, and treat impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities in patients.
There are many reasons patients come to us for massage therapy. Whether you were injured during an auto accident, playing a sport, or a work-related incident, we are here to alleviate any discomfort you may have. Our entire staff is dedicated to improving your health. Our compassionate and educated chiropractors will work with you every step of the way. Results of an injury can vary from person to person, so it is important to speak with our wonderful staff to see how we can help you. Our number one goal is to help you feel like yourself again.