Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints in the world regardless of nationality, gender or occupation. In Australia alone, about 3 million people go to a healthcare specialist for back pain every year and that’s approximately one in four Australians suffering from back pain more prevalent in the 65 – 79 age group and common both in men (13.8%) and women (12.8%).
When it comes to disability-adjusted life-years in Australia, back pain is one of the top 20 burden-imposing health problems as of the year 2003. Consequently, it is one of the most frequent reasons why people often visit their doctors and eventually skip their work. Data shows that Australian businesses spend $1 billion each year for treating back pain problems alone. This goes to show that back pain affects both a person’s personal life and the business industry as well.
Causes of Back Pain
People experience back pain for a lot of reasons. It might be the way they sit or do an activity, or simply their work or lifestyle that puts a strain on their back. While there is no specific reason why back pain develops, there are common conditions associated to back pain such as:
- Repeated heavy lifting
- Sudden awkward movement
- Over-stretching, or twisting awkwardly
- Poor posture especially when sitting
- Doing repetitive movements
- Skeletal irregularities
- An old injury
- Worry or stress
- Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Bulging or ruptured disks, whiplash, and sciatica
Coping with Back Pain
The tissues and structures of our back are very sensitive that’s why back pain is very uncomfortable. Most people who suffered from back pain reported experiencing another episode of back pain. While this may not be serious, resting for more than a day may not be a good advice. Thus, it is best to seek the help of a health practitioner, such us a chiropractor especially if the pain is becoming troublesome, the recovery is slow and the back pain isn’t improving.
There is no need to worry when seeing a chiropractor for the first time. They undergo years of full-time training under a strict professional and ethical boundaries and are regulated by law. Chiropractors are highly trained for manual treatments such as spinal manipulation, where they move patient’s back muscles using their hands to free any restricted joints. They specialised in assessing, diagnosing, and managing conditions of the spine. They can identify the cause of pain in the spine with just their bare hands.
Chiropractic Treatment Options
Before starting any treatment, a chiropractor gathers as much information about a patient’s back pain in order to make a precise diagnosis. After which, a chiropractor will explain what is wrong, what can be done, and what chiropractic treatment is best for the back pain. Generally, manual therapy in a chiropractic treatment of lower back pain involves spinal manipulation, called adjustment. It denotes a high-velocity, short lever arm thrust applied to the abnormal vertebra with the objective reducing nerve irritability, restoring range of motion in the back, and of improving functionality. The manual therapy also involves a low-velocity manipulation, movement and stretching of the muscles and joints, with the intent of increasing the range of motion within those areas, also called chiropractic adjustment.
Apart from manual therapy, chiropractors may recommend other treatments in his chiropractic care package such as certain types of acupuncture, stretching exercises, lifestyle advice and diet plan to help the recovery as well as prevent repeated episodes of back pain. Chiropractic care includes a variety of treatment options so, you don’t have to endure the back pain anymore. Remember that if your back pain does not improve, seek immediate help from your health practitioner because early treatment will truly get you better faster.
