Backaches, disc herniations, arthrosis.
The spine is an incredible structure, and it is the foundation of your body. It’s composed or bones, discs, ligaments and nerves. Tendons/muscles attaches to it and that’s what allows you to move, eat, work, and play. This structure of the spine as a whole is built perfectly, durable yet flexible, all in order to protect your nervous system and to optimize the functioning of your body.
Most people take their health and spine for granted until something goes wrong.
Did you know that it is estimated that 80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives? It is the largest cost of health care expenditures!
So what are some common treatments for back pain?
In the medical community, the standard treatment tends to be stay in bed, pain killers, and eventually stronger painkillers or antiinflammatories like cortisone, muscle relaxants, or even invasive surgeries on the spine.
However, research has repeatedly shown that the efficacy of these treatments is very low, and are only palliative. Often, after a low back surgery, patients have a reoccurrence within 5 years, usually worse than the first time and now more complicated to treat.
In fact, the first line of treatment in North America, and other countries that is recommended has been vertebral corrections and physical activity. Of course the type of activity depends on the situation as each is unique.
Back pain and trauma
Although some patients recall random events at the origin of their lumbar pain, most forget them.
Many claim that one day they woke up with such pain.
Some claim to have experienced the onset of lumbar pain by coughing or sneezing, while others remember to have it occur acutely by carrying out normal daily activities such as putting on shoes or showering.
Movements like these should not cause injuries to a healthy column.
When this happens, it may be the first sign of a chronic underlying weakness due to spinal imbalance.
Many treatments focus on the low back or lumbar region when the actual cause of the problem can be either in the upper spine, or in the joints below, including the hips, knees or ankles.
The upper area of the back or neck may be one of the factors active in developing lumbar pain for two reasons. First, the spine works and moves like a single continuous unit. Each joint influences another.
For now let’s talk about the cervical spine, it’s job is to make sure our head is straight, with our eyes and ears in a position to be able to react to our environment. The cervical vertebrae have “sensors” that are responsible for maintaining correct balance, posture and alignment of the head, neck, and upper back.
When there is a disequilbrium of weight, activity, or movement on one side vs. the other, that can create compensation, or tension in other parts of the spine.
The same is true for the lower limbs, which are the foundation on which your weight is distributed.
In both cases, compensation can occur in other parts of the kinetic chain, and tension can build up. This compensation is your body’s attempt to protect the nervous system within it.
However if the root cause isn’t corrected the tension accumulates and causes even more of a chain reaction through the rest of the body. For example, the sacroiliac joint, a joint of the pelvis can become hypermobile, or hypomobile, causing one leg too appear contracted or shortened.
When the spine is aligned, it is extremely strong and stable. And so are you.
This chain reaction makes the vertebral muscles, bones and discs more vulnerable to injury: an imminent accident situation, or normal activities of daily living like tying your shoes or picking up your child.
At the base of all this, is the nervous system. It is the nervous system that controls the muscles and how active they are, it controls how they regulate joint movements, it communicates where your head is positioned, it also communicates when you’re stressed and if you need to be in “fight or flight” mode.
When the nervous system is free of any interference, your body can self-heal and self-regulate the way it is designed to.
That’s where we come in, as Chiropractors we are experts in the natural care of the spine and nervous system. We facilitate the body to work perfectly via the central nervous system, spine and other joints.