A Chiropractor’s Perspective on Lower Back Pain

Do you know someone with low back pain? At any given time there are 31 million Americans that experience low back pain. That is just the lower back not including the neck and mid-back. Just think of how many Americans that experience neck and mid-back pain as well.

The ACA (American Chiropractic Association) website states, “Back pain is the second leading cause of all physician visits in the U.S. In fact, half of all working Americans admit to having back pain each year. According to a study conducted by the American Chiropractic Association in 2001, 43% of patients seen by a doctor of chiropractic were treated for low-back pain.”

So what is the cause of low back pain? There are many factors that can contribute to this. Stress and trauma are two of the most common contributors. Stress on muscles and joints, from activities such as sports, or other activities of daily living as well as mental stress can cause misalignment of the spine and muscle spasms. Car wrecks, slips, falls and even repetitive motions are some of the traumas that can cause misalignment.

Stress and repetitive motion need to be addressed when dealing with chronic muscle pain. If a muscle is hurting for an extended period of time, then therapy may be necessary. It is also a good idea to get to the cause of the stress or try to reduce the amount of movement in a repetitive motion.

After a muscle is injured from a trauma, such as lifting a heavy object that causes lower back pain, it is imperative to start the healing process with some sort of therapy. Chiropractic care is a great therapy to help muscle and joint pain.

Chiropractic care is fantastic for relieving aches and pains, but it is also great for prevention of future problems. Chiropractic care can be a lot like going to the dentist to have your teeth checked and cleaned on a regular basis. Prevention of disc injury is always better than rehab and recovery.

Chiropractic care can help prevent disc injury by adding an increased range of motion to a joint through manipulation to the spine. This increase in range of motion will help stop scar tissue and calcium deposits from developing around the joint. The muscles will be able to move through out a better range of motion as well after manipulation to the spine.

The number of muscles in the human body varies from about 656 to 850, depending on which source you consult. But what causes muscle pain? Some common causes are stress, over exertion. Sore muscles resulting from exercise or other forms of physical stress will most often resolve after a few days. Other causes of muscle pain may stick around until something is done about it.

There are many things one can do to help alleviate low back pain. A helpful hint everybody can do to help low back pain at night time is keep a comfortable pillow near the knees. Keeping a pillow between the knees while sleeping on your side can help relieve hip tension. And a pillow under the knees while sleeping on your back can help relieve tension in the low back. Make sure it is comfortable from the start. If there is any pain, stop immediately.

Always consult with your doctor before trying new sleeping positions. There are certain conditions that could possibly be aggravated from these positions. There are certain orthopedic pillows designed to help align the natural curvature in your neck and low back. These pillows may help alleviate pain through out the night and even help pain levels the following day.

Lower back pain can be frustrating and may not clear up over night. Start by trying a more conservative approach to alleviating your low back pain before trying more invasive procedures.

Dr. Ryan Marshall, D.C.