Back pain is one of the most common ailments in the U.S.
It affects 80% of Americans
Some sources say it costs Americans as much each year as cancer treatment.
Stop waiting for things to get better on their own. It hasn’t worked yet. Take control, take action. Call Dr. Lou for help today – (207) 774-6251. Portland, Maine
Wait a second, as much as cancer? It is such a common problem and it is so poorly managed by medicine, that yes, it’s that expensive.
So what’s wrong with your back?
Most commonly back problem areas boil down to joints, bones, muscles, nerves and discs. Very often it’s a combination of any of those and all of those. The spine and back are complicated because of the duties they perform. Upright posture, mobility and protection of the spinal cord. These are the big ones. All of these are critically important for normal human existence. Without them, life is really tough. REALLY TOUGH.
If your problem is not more serious, like cancer or serious trauma (fracture), there is almost no doubt that the pain and dysfunction is from those aforementioned sources.
How do you deal with joints and bones? Joints and bones become stressed through physical activity combined with poor alignment. This causes inflammation, degeneration and immobility. The key with joints is to keep them mobile, well lubricated and not inflamed. Joints are made of bones that can become arthritic, they decay, almost like teeth. Arthritis in the spine, or spinal decay, is bad on the joints and stressful on the discs and nerves. Arthritis gets worse with physical stress and inflammation and when compounded with time, it’s bad to wait to “see what happens”. Spinal decay is like rust on your car, it always just keeps getting worse.
Nerves are the wiring of our “house”. Pressure and other sources of interference cause “shorts” that cause pain and dysfunction in all systems of the back. A problem with joint position, muscle tension, fluid levels in joints, the works. If your nerves are compromised, you’ll never function at 100% and you may even feel terrible.
Muscle dysfunction, tension, contracture, inflammation are all controlled by the nerves and integrated into the other systems mentioned above. Muscles hurt fast and furious, they pull on the bones and joints they are attached to, and if they become far too tight and inflamed, they also compress nerves.
Your pain problem in the back is likely coming from more than one of these key components of your back. Chiropractic deals with all of these factors and is recommended by the FDA as the first line of defense against back pain.