Nearly 80 percent of the population will have low back pain at some point in their lifetime. It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed workdays. Understanding the most common causes of low back pain may help you overcome or even prevent this troublesome condition.
What typically causes Low Back Pain?
Have you ever heard of someone who bent over to pick up a pen off the floor and his or her back went out? Do you think the weight of the pen caused the back injury? Often, low back pain starts during a simple task that you have done 100 time before. The action of bending over to pick up the pen is just the straw that “broke the camel’s back.” The repetitive motion or activity sometimes combines with past traumas weakening the structural stabilizers of the low back leading to local irritation, inflammation and eventually a painful lesion.
Common Treatments for Low Back Pain
Most people initially think it must be a simple muscle ache, so they take a pain medication or stretch for temporary relief. Unfortunately, this is not the best solution and many years may pass by simply covering up the underlying problem just to get out of bed. Eventually, the person goes to see their doctor who requests imaging that shows a much more severe structural problem than just a simple muscle pain. It is almost impossible to damage only a muscle without damaging a ligament, disc, or nerve. They all work together, and even if the problem began solely due to repetitive movements, it always affects the entire functional unit to some extent. “Muscle pain” is a symptom that goes hand and hand with almost any type of spinal lesions, and our brain is not able to differentiate muscle pain from a herniated disc, tumor, or degenerated joint.
Blair Chiropractic and Low Back Pain
In many cases, people with low back pain have had an asymptomatic spinal lesion for several years prior to the onset of symptoms. For people who suffer from low back pain, it is important to understand a long-term problem requires a long-term solution. Most people suffering from this type of pain want the pain to subside as quick as possible. However, if the original problem has been present for 5 or 10 years, it is not reasonable that it will vanish in a week. Let me give an example: Most people know you cannot lose an overweight belly in a week that was created through years of improper diet and lack of exercise. Most people do not make an appointment with a nutritionist and demand they help them lose 10lbs in a week so they can wear a bikini during their upcoming Caribbean vacation. People are not as understanding when it comes to low back pain, but the solution is similar. A real solution will require finding the right professional to create a long-term strategy that includes correcting the underlying spinal issues and helping the person to change bad habits.
The Blair Chiropractic Technique is an excellent option because it analyzes a vital area of the spine that is often overlooked in patients suffering from low back pain. Many health care professionals who treat low back pain will focus only on the low back, and this approach often fails to correct the foundational issues of the spine. The foundation of the spine is not the hips or legs like many people think, including many spinal specialists. The true foundation is above our spine, and it is called the brain. Our brain controls all postural reflexes that sustain the spine. You can cut off a leg or two and still manage to have a fairly healthy spine. If you cut off your head, the rest of the spine will cease to function immediately. Similarly, when you build a house you want to begin with a secure foundation, the Blair Chiropractic Technique also focuses on establishing a strong foundation. When the head and neck become misaligned, the postural reflexes begin to compensate the low back, hips, and legs eventually leading to secondary problems such as low back pain or sciatica. Similarly, if the foundation of your house sunk down a few inches, it may lead to secondary problems such as cracked walls or jammed windows and doors. By correcting the head and neck misalignment associated with the Upper Cervical Subluxation, the postural reflexes will begin to return the entire spine towards its factory alignment thus decreasing pressure on muscles, ligaments, discs, and nerves which are often the cause of low back pain. In addition, a Blair Chiropractor will teach the patient good habits so they can take care of their spine in the future. We only have one spine, and there are no implants!