The back is one of the most complex parts of the body. It’s a crucial apparatus made of intricate arrays of bone, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, discs, nerves, and connective tissue. Think about just about any activity and see if you’re able to do it without engaging your back. Difficult, huh?
That’s why maintaining back health is extremely important, especially as we age. Unfortunately, back pain is one of the leading causes of chronic pain, and that’s no good. If you’re one of the millions of Americans facing the everyday reality of chronic back pain, you should consider chiropractic treatment for back wellness. We’ll explain why.
The Need for Comprehensive Chiropractic Treatment for Back Wellness
Back pain is very common and has multiple possible causes due to the complex structure of the back, which includes muscles, bones, and soft tissue.
| Key Takeaway |
|---|
| Chronic back pain has a variety of causes that compromise the back’s ability to maintain structural support and evenly distribute weight along the muscles, joints, and ligaments in the body. If left untreated, chronic back pain can lead to other issues in the body. |
The pain can range from mild to debilitating, lasting anywhere from a few days to years. When left untreated, chronic back pain rarely goes away. Some of the most common causes of chronic back pain include:
- Poor posture and spinal misalignment: The spine has an ideal curvature it needs to maintain to properly distribute weight, bear loads, and move appropriately. Maintaining poor posture can cause excess strain and stress on the back, bones, muscles, and ligaments when this shape is compromised. Conditions like scoliosis can cause spinal misalignment, but poor posture can generally lead to kyphosis (excessive forward posture) and lordosis (excessive rear posture).
- Muscle imbalances: When muscles in the back that create and maintain support become weak, it can contribute to spinal misalignment and increased stress on portions of the back.
- Nerve compression: Because the back contains the spinal cord, it’s home to many nerve endings. When these nerves come under excess pressure or strain, they can become pinched, create persistent pain, and develop conditions like sciatica.
- Arthritis: Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can cause inflammation to build up in the joints of the spine.
- Inflammation: Inflammation comes from more than just arthritis. It can build up in the joints and ligaments of the back, which can cause chronic pain.
- Age and degeneration: It’s natural for the disparate back portions to deteriorate over time and cause pain. However, this is exacerbated by other problems, such as posture and spinal alignment.
These factors contribute to pain and compromise the back’s ability to perform necessary functions as the body’s main support structure and center for locomotion.
When these functions are jeopardized, they can increase the likelihood of chronic back pain. For instance, something as seemingly insignificant as forward head posture can lead to increased strain on the muscles and misalignment of the joints in the neck, which can manifest as chronic back pain.
Taking a proactive approach to back wellness can stop the cycle.
Chiropractic treatment is an option.
How Chiropractic Treatment for Back Wellness Works
Chiropractic treatment for back wellness is a holistic and proactive approach to health that is focused on solving mechanical issues within the body to eliminate the source of pain instead of simply treating the pain.
| Key Takeaway |
|---|
| Chiropractors go above addressing the immediate symptoms of chronic back pain and, instead, use treatments designed to solve back pain at the root by correcting issues with posture and spinal misalignment, which eliminates back pain and prevents it from returning. |
This is done because of an understanding that chronic back pain always has underlying causes, be it postural imbalances or spinal misalignment. Chiropractors are musculoskeletal experts who have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanics of the back and use that knowledge to repair the damage done to the back and structural issues that cause chronic back pain.
| How Chiropractors Treat Back Pain | |
|---|---|
| Treatment | Description |
| Chiropractic Adjustments | Manual manipulation of specific portions of the spine restores proper spinal alignment and reduces joint dysfunction. This can also help release inflammation and improve the spine’s range of motion.t. |
| Massage Therapy | Massage techniques such as myofascial release aim to restore muscle function by releasing muscle tension and reducing muscle imbalances contributing to poor posture and inflammation. |
| Postural Exercises | These exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles and ligaments in the back to correct the individual’s posture and increase the back’s natural ability to bear and distribute weight properly. |
| Patient Education | Chiropractors ensure that patients know the importance of maintaining proper posture once it is restored and essential tips for prolonged care and lifestyle adjustments. |
It’s important to remember chiropractic care aims to provide a long-term solution to back pain as well as immediate relief. When only the symptoms of back pain are addressed and not the cause, the reprieve will be temporary, and you will likely continue to need treatment.
Chiropractic care is designed to eliminate pain by restoring proper spine mechanics and the spine’s natural curvature, so it promotes better long-term whole-body health and well-being.
PostureWorks Offers Long-Lasting Relief From Back Pain
Here at PostureWorks, we believe you don’t have to live with your back pain, nor do you need to settle for constant visits to medical practitioners for pain relief. Instead, we use cutting-edge treatments like Chiropractic BioPhysics® to properly assess every facet of your spinal health with a comprehensive spinal analysis and examination of your entire medical history.
We use that information to craft fully customized treatment plans that target and repair the actual cause of your back pain. That means you’ll benefit from practical, lasting relief from your back pain and better overall health, all without invasive surgeries.
Contact us today for more information on chiropractic physiotherapy treatment or to schedule your appointment with PostureWorks in Lakewood or San Francisco.
Chiropractic BioPhysics®, or CBP, is a deeply researched and results-oriented corrective care technique. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health and optimal function. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is conservative, painless, and non-invasive as with all chiropractic care.
