Although chiropractors care for more than just back pain, many patients visit Chiropractic Partners looking for relief from back pain. 

Some interesting facts about back pain:

• Half of all working Americans experience it each year.
• It is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, back pain is second only to upper-respiratory infections as the most common reason for doctor’s visits.
• Most cases are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer, but are purely mechanical.
• As much as 80% of the population is estimated to experience a back problem during their lifetime.

What Causes Back Pain?

There is not one simple answer since the back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. It can be a simple, everyday movement or a sports related injury. There are a variety of things that can lead to back pain such as spraining ligaments, straining muscles, rupturing disks, and irritating joints. In addition,arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain.  A person may also experience back pain from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss.

Manipulation as a Treatment for Back Problems

Manipulation, though largely ignored by most providers in the health care community, has been used by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) for a century. With healthcare’s growing emphasis on treatment and cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving more attention.

Pain treatment by chiropractic spinal manipulation is safe and effective. Chiropractic manipulation reduces pain, decreases medication, rapidly advances physical therapy, and requires very few passive forms of treatment, such as bed rest. In fact, after an extensive study conducted by a federal government research organization called the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, it was recommended that low back pain sufferers choose the most conservative care first. And, it recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective, drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back problems in adults.

Tips for Preventing Back Pain

• Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
• Remain active—under the supervision of your chiropractor.
• Warm up or stretch before exercising or any physical activities, even yard work.
• Maintain proper posture. To ensure this in your work space, work with your chiropractor to create an ergonomically correct computer workstation.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
• Sleep on a medium firm mattress to minimize any curve in your spine.
• Lift with your knees, remembering to keep the object close to your body and not twist when lifting.
• Quit smoking. Among the many disadvantages of smoking, be aware that it impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to spinal tissues.

To learn more about chiropractic care and how our team at Chiropractic Partners can help, visit chiropartners.com!

Info and credit for parts of this article: The American Chiropractic Association