Back Pain Relief and Prevention

"I thought it would just go away."

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have heard this in our practice. The problem is, a recent study involving sufferers of low back pain in the British Medical Journal (2/05/98), stated contrary to what many people think, back pain does not resolve itself naturally. A follow up found that 91% of those in the survey were still experiencing back pain 12 months later.

Make no mistake; if you have low back pain, you have a problem.

 Most low back pain is the result of an injury. The majority of problems that people present to our office with are the result of injuries that happened years ago. I often have patients tell me that they have had low back pain before, but it has "always gone away". This is usually the worst type of problem.

Our body uses pain to tell us that we have a problem. (I promise the problem is not a shortage of Motrin in your body!) In our infinite wisdom, we take the drugs, cover up the back pain without fixing the problem, and our back pain temporarily goes away. We think we are fine, until it happens again and it always does. This time the back pain is a little worst and takes longer to go away and we continue this insanity until the problem is severe.

I have seen this same problem when people go to symptom chiropractors. These are usually the chiropractors that do not take x-rays, may or may not use physical therapy, and adjust the patient a few times and let them come back when their pain returns. The problem is, there is no way anyone can correct a problem in 1 or 2 visits. If someone has had a problem for 20 years, how can you possibly fix it in 2 visits?

This is the reason x-rays are necessary. Not only is it the only way to truly see how to correct the problem, it is the only way to know how much damage is done or if there are any dangers in adjusting the spine, such as tumors.

Call  today at 925 685-2002 to schedule a free consultation.

What causes low back injuries resulting in low back pain?

 There are many ways low back injuries occur. The more important question is what do I do now?

 Few GP's will admit, as Dr Phil Hammond does in his book Trust Me I'm A Doctor that "they are not very good at treating back pain". Most GP's are reluctant to refer outside the NHS, even though chiropractors are specially trained to identify and advise on the specific cause of your spinal dysfunction (back pain).

The bones of your spine protect the spinal cord as well as the nerve roots, sometimes they lose their normal motion or position (vertebral subluxation complex), and this can irritate the nerves that branch off the spinal cord to all the tissues of your body, resulting in back pain being experienced.

 In order for the spine to be flexible, the vertebrae are joined together by soft tissue structures known as discs. Each disc is made up of two parts - a central soft core and outer rings of tough cartilage. The discs allow movement and also help to absorb shock. A slipped disc is the rather inaccurate term used to describe the condition, often in the lower back, where trauma or 'wear and tear' have caused damage to the outer rings of cartilage, so that the core is squeezed outwards. This can result in a bulge which can press on the spinal cord, the nerve root or the nerve itself. It can cause excruciating back pain, or referred elsewhere - for example in the lower leg or foot.

Over my 22 years in practice, I have developed techniques that mobilize the spine to reduce any pressure around the spinal cord or nerves; offering patients not only back pain relief, but correction of the problem that is causing the back pain, and slow down the degenerative process. The best part is we will show you this on x-ray. That is correct. We will take an x-ray when we are done to prove that we have in fact corrected the problem before we release you from care.  

     Painkillers, muscle relaxants, Valium, physical therapy and surgery are not designed to correct vertebral subluxation only cover up your back pain and allow you to die more comfortably.

Call  today at 925 685-2002 to schedule a free consultation.

We Listen, We Care, We Get Results!