My Back Hurts!
Written by Hank Lopez
“My back hurts!”
We have all heard someone say this or we’ve even said it ourselves. So what should you do about your back pain? Should you go to a Chiropractor? Before deciding what the best treatment is, here is some information about Chiropractic care.
The roots of chiropractic care can be traced back to the beginning of recorded time. In the United States, it gained momentum in the 19th century when Dr. Daniel David Palmer created the Palmer school of Chiropractic, which has continued to be one of the most prominent chiropractic colleges in the nation. Doctors of chiropractic must complete 4-5 years at an accredited chiropractic college. It includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. Approximately 555 hours are devoted to learning about adjustive techniques and spinal analysis in the college of chiropractic. Doctors of chiropractic frequently treat individuals with musculoskeletal complaints, such as headaches, joint pain, neck, and low-back pain including sciatica. Chiropractors also treat patients with spinal disk conditions, carpal tunnel, sprains and strains. They also have the training to treat a variety of non-neuromusculoskeletal conditions such as allergies, asthma, digestive disorders and other disorders as new research is developed. The philosophy of their work is to devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure, and function of the spine and its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological system and the roles played by the proper function of these systems.
A few stats on back pain:
Roughly 31 million Americans experience low back pain.
Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010.
One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain each year.
Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain relief.
So what can the chiropractor do for you? Manipulation has been largely ignored by a lot of others in healthcare until recently. Now, with today’s growing emphasis on low cost and effective treatment, manipulation is receiving more wide spread attention. Spinal manipulation is effective for pain treatment, decreased medication, and rapidly advances physical therapy.
But is chiropractic care the answer to all the problems we, as active people, may encounter during our day-to-day lives? There are many other effective treatments out there for us such as ART (Active Release Techniques), Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, and the good ole “lacrosse ball” that we all love to hate. In regards to back pain, some may take the chiropractic approach or another treatment or maybe a combination of approaches. What works for one person may not for another. Listen to your body and be aware of what it’s telling you. There may not be a clear cut answer to the route we take to care for our bodies, but if we take good care of ourselves we will hopefully not be included in that alarming 31 million people that say “my back hurts”.
General tips for preventing lower back pain -
Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
Avoid prolonged inactivity: Get up and move around.
Warm up and stretch properly before and after physical activity.
Always fight to maintain good posture.
References
1. Jensen M, Brant-Zawadzki M, Obuchowski N, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbar Spine in People Without Back Pain. N Engl J Med 1994; 331: 69-116.
2. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.