Back and Neck Pain Treatment
My chiropractic office, similar to many other practices all over the US, offers relief from back pain or neck pain. Often viewed as treatment for neck and back pain alone, chiropractic care helps a variety of conditions.
Never self-diagnosis back pain or neck pain; instead you should always seek professional advice and treatment. Ignoring back and neck pain could create other health problems that are more serious.
Some of the various conditions that cause back pain and neck pain can include everything from injury and infection to twisting or turning "the wrong way". Injuries from accidents, such as a car accident, often result in stress and strain on the vertebra, the connecting ligature, the joints, and the muscles.
The most common cause of back pain that manifests as tightening or spasm of the muscles connected to the spine is overuse or under use of the back muscles. Joints and ligaments become increasingly inflamed and swollen with advancing age.
A herniated disc happens if nuclear pulposus, the substance inside the disc, comes out of a torn annulus fibrosis, the substance outside of the disc, compressing the nerve root. The most likely area to have a back/neck injury would be in the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine which have the most mobility, and the discs are more likely to wear down or become injured. The bottom two spinal vertebrae experience ninety percent of all herniated disc injuries.
One cause for aggravation and damage to the spinal cord is a condition known as spinal stenosis. There are many conditions that can cause spinal stenosis including infections, tumors, trauma, herniated disc, arthritis, ligament thickening, the growth of bone spurs, and general disc degeneration. As the vertebrae deteriorate with age, we are more likely to develop stenosis of the spine.
When something rubs or presses against a nerve creating irritation or inflammation, a pinched nerve, also known as radiculopathy, occurs. The causes of radiculopathy vary. A herniated disc, bone growth, a tumor compressing nerves, and vertebral fracture are all common causes of this condition.
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve is known as Sciatica, a certain type of radiculopathy. When the sciatic nerve is inflamed, pain shoots down the lower back through one side of the buttocks and continues down the back side of the leg.
Compressing the spine or nerve roots can cause significant pain and can be an indicator or symptom of a spinal tumor that originates in the spine (primary tumor) or tumor spreading to the spine from another part of the body (metastatic tumor).
Vertebrae infections (osteomyelitis), discs, meninges (spinal meningitis), or cerebrospinal fluid can press against the spinal cord and cause bad neurological damage if it isn't identified and treated right away.
Facet joints are formed by two adjacent vertebra and direct the movement of the spine; these joints are often areas that are affected by arthritis. The alignment of the spine is compromised when fluid and cartilage, which functions as a shock absorber, deteriorates and bones begin to shift out of place. Bone rubbing against bone can be very painful.
Back pain and neck pain can be caused by many things and not just these few examples. Chiropractors often relieve uncomfortable back pain and neck pain, because the associated causes are usually mechanical in nature. In conclusion, neck pain and back pain are warning signals from your body that should not be ignored.
How is back pain and neck pain affected by your posture?
Have you ever wondered how you can develop back pain or neck pain without doing anything strenuous? A chiropractor can diagnose neck pain, postural stress, back pain and suggest ergonomic solutions. With closer examination of the structure of our bodies and some simple physics principles, it is a wonder that humans do not suffer from more frequent and intense back and neck pain. In my California chiropractic business, I treat clients frequently who work in an office and could benefit from better ergonomics.
Anyone at any time can have back or neck pain. Lifting, operating machinery, sports, auto accidents, and falls are some of the most common injuries I see in my office. These kind of injuries are typical or expected injuries. The majority of patients think that chiropractic issues stem from lifting heavy sacks of concrete but are surprised to find that most are due to postural stress.
The "silent killer" of our spinal health is postural stress. Postural stress is experienced either while sitting or standing on one's feet. Any time your spine is not in its natural curves or moves forward beyond its neutral balance point, you can risk postural stress.
One of the various postural stressful positions is sitting at the computer leaning forward with your neck and head while typing or mousing or viewing the screen. This posture, in which your head and neck are extended in front of your body, reverses the normal curvature of your spine and neck, and shifts your head away from its balance point.
The stability that is part of our structure when our postural boundaries are respected is lost when we assume postures that cause stress to our spines. Back and neck pain is often a result of poor posture, which also causes fatigue, irritability, and inflammation of muscles and connecting ligatures due to extended pressure.
To treat neck and back pain caused by postural stress, one must undertake a multifaceted plan. Using this method of chiropractic care in conjunction with stretching and nutritional support relieves pain and stiffness and restores normal, full joint movement. Depending on the length of time that you have been in pain or the severity of your symptoms, this part of your recovery may take several treatments or a lengthy treatment program.
Chiropractic care alone will not alleviate the problem; you must eliminate or change the causes of the postural stress. Ergonomic problems that lead to postural stress can be identified using workstation analysis. Applying ice packs for neck pain and back pain for around twenty minutes at a time is also sometimes effective for relief.
Start treatment by talking to your chiropractor. Chiropractors are medically trained to deal with postural stress problems and the neck pain that occurs as a result. Our San Diego based chiropractic clinic employs a complete approach to rehabilitation using chiropractic care supported by stretches and exercises. In order to facilitate the healing process we encourage the proper nutritional support. It is just as important to understand and correct the cause of poor posture, which causes pain, as it is to seek treatment to relieve the pain.
Using Chiropractic and Exercise to Build a Healthy Spine
I provide treatment for many different kinds of injuries. There are many different causes for neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc. and can include auto accidents, work related injuries, injuries as a result of domestic chores, and even sometimes something as easy to do as sleeping in an awkward position.
Over half of the people who come to me with neck pain or back pain want to know how they can prevent it from coming back; it is this question that I will attempt to answer in this article.
For starters, two big reasons are back pain and neck pain.
Often, people take action with regard to their health when they experience frequent pain. Eager to start, people frequently ask what kind of stretching or exercise they can implement right away. The best practice you can employ with a new injury is to apply ice packs and rest as much as possible.
During my more than 15 years in practice, I have noticed many enthusiastic people disregard this suggestion and as a consequence, their condition worsens. You want to start exercising and stretching your back when you are out of the acute stage of pain and not before.
The most challenging obstacles clients have to overcome are poor diet and lack of exercise. Outside of chiropractic care, exercise is one of the very few things that a patient can do at home to prevent or help diminish the chances of developing back pain or neck pain.
Exercise after an injury should be approached with caution - almost to a point where the exercise feels as if it is doing nothing. You should first attempt some low intensity workouts, and if you don't experience pain, increase the resistance a little at a time.
Understand your limits when reintroducing exercise after a back injury, and proceed cautiously. When exercising and stretching, make sure it's under the guidance of a health care professional. You can improve the support in your spine by strengthening muscle tone and adding flexibility.
Many patients of my chiropractic office have seen relief from back and neck pain from stretching and targeted exercises. Combining chiropractic care with stretching and exercising promotes faster, more complete healing.
Writers Bio
Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.
Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.
Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic
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