Should You Seek Help For Your Middle Back Pain Or Just Tough-It-Out?

Middle back pain may only seem an annoyance but the truth is if left untreated will only get worse and could result in more severe problems.

That’s why seeing a chiropractor is crucial when mid back pain begins. Back pain can be cause by simple factors such as driving for extended periods or working in a job that requires long hours of sitting. It may also be a complication of an organ system such as the liver or kidneys. Postural distortions of the neck can add increased stress to the middle back as well, increasing the degeneration process in the middle back and cause pain.

Mid back problems can also cause the rib cage to become distorted, resulting in shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and fast or slow heart rhythms and thus leading individuals to believe that they are experiencing cardiac or respiratory problems. Other warning signs may include:

• Muscle tightness and spasms.
• Restricted range of motion when bending or twisting.
• Sharp radiating pain.
• Rib pain.

Regardless of its origins or warning signs, an individual experiencing signs of mid back pain should consult a chiropractor immediately, which can determine the cause of pain and create a care program specifically tailored for them.

Chiropractors are experts in the musculoskeletal systems and associated biomechanical-related functions. Allowing a chiropractor to become familiar with a patient’s medical history and lifestyle will allow him to determine a plan for treatment. If it is a mechanical problem there is a mechanical solution!

Here are some of the ways a chiropractor can help a patient with mid back pain:

1. Chiropractors use the hands or small instruments to conduct specific spinal adjustments that help reposition and align the bones of the skeletal system, thus allowing the body to heal itself.
2. The repositioning permits related soft tissue structures around the back such as nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments to heal.
3. Chiropractic care can be instrumental in helping improve and restore motion to joints that are stuck or moving incorrectly, thus allowing the joint to pump the inflammation out and relieve pain.

Visiting a chiropractor is the alternative option to using medications or potentially risky surgeries. Chiropractic is a gentle, safe, natural form of health care. Of course, regular chiropractic care is an even better option that waiting for problems to arise. That’s because chiropractors can detect potential problems to a patient’s nervous system before they occur. Remember only ten percent of nerve fibers are actually associated with pain!

Our Fremont Chiropractors specialize in the care of nerves, muscles and connective tissues, which make up 60 percent of the body. All of the joints in an individual’s body are part of this musculo-skeletal system and its optimal function is necessary for overall good health.

As with any treatment, chiropractic adjusting techniques are also modified based on an individual’s size, weight, and unique spinal problems. Recommended treatments may include specific spinal adjustments, recommendations on exercise, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on health history, age, and lifestyle.

Help for Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is never fun. Along with intense suffering, it may also lead to loss of work. It’s possible to do almost anything with low back pain. Walking, sitting, standing, moving the head or arms, and moving the legs are all painful experiences.

There are many causes of lower back pain that include prolonged sitting or improper lifting either as a result of personal or work-related activities, overexertion, trauma, or spinal abnormalities that are a result of genetics. Regardless of the source, lower back pain is something that has to be dealt with both to alleviate problems in the present and the risk of complications in the future.

Chiropractic care can not only help with lower back pain quicker than surgery or medications, it can also be more effective. Surgery is risky and painful, not to mention very time consuming because of the healing process.

Using pain medication to treat low back pain is dangerous for two reasons. First it may provide short term relief of pain but the source of the problem is not corrected and the injury becomes more inflamed and difficult to treat. Second, certain ingredients in pain medication are hard on the stomach, the kidneys and the liver. Over time, medication can cause problems with these organs and the back pain is still there.

An additional cause of lower back pain may be a bulging or herniated disc that puts pressure on the spinal cord or nearby nerve root. These bulging or herniated discs may cause numbness, tingling, or pain in a leg. However, cutting away the herniated disc tissue can permanently alter its ability to separate and cushion adjacent bones. Along with this, the surgery seldom addresses the structural causes of the problem. The other surgical option would be to remove a part of the bone called the Lamina, leaving the spinal cord uncovered and unprotected.

What are the ways an individual can work with a chiropractor to improve their back problem? Among them:

• Make an appointment with a chiropractor. Arriving a few minutes early the day of an appointment is important to allow time to relax both mentally and physically. Even a short automobile drive can create tension that may make a patient less responsive to treatment. Taking time to relax before seeing a chiropractor will increase the benefits of treatment

• Don’t skip appointments. Chiropractic visits are scheduled at specific intervals between adjustments. As a result, missing even one appointment will disturb the recovery process

• Follow instructions for self-administered measures such as hot packs or cold packs. Not only can these be applied at home, they help recovery without the cost of another professional visit.

• Daily rest. Successful chiropractic care also involves recuperation. During recuperative periods patients should schedule daily rest periods. These involve lying flat on their back on the floor for 30 minutes. If time is a problem in doing, so the rest time can be divided into two 15-minute periods.

Chiropractors are experts in the care of nerves, muscles and connective tissues, which make up 60 percent of the body. All of the joints in an individual’s body are part of this musculo-skeletal system and its optimal function is necessary for overall good health.

As with any treatment, chiropractic adjusting techniques are also modified based on an individual’s size, weight, and unique spinal problems. Recommended treatments may include specific spinal adjustments, recommendations on exercise, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on health history, age, and lifestyle.

Relief For Sciatica Pain

The pain may come out of nowhere like a lightning bolt or manifest itself in the form of a constant, nagging ache deep within the hip area. Regardless of how it makes itself known, sciatic pain should not be ignored.

Many people often ignore the early stages of what is a serious condition by neglecting to see a chiropractor who can diagnose and treat the problem.

Sciatica is a term that refers to the painful inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the longest and largest nerve in the body. Sciatica comes from the Latin word which means “hip.” A sciatic nerve may extend from an individual’s buttocks to their toes.

The sciatic nerve forms from five nerve roots in the lower back which join together deep in the pelvis. From there, the sciatic nerve divides into many branch nerves that serve an individual’s muscles, joints, skin and other tissues in the legs and feet.

While sciatica flare-ups may or may not involve back pain, sciatica sufferers frequently have a history of lower back pain. What are some of the causes of sciatic pain? Among them:
• Improper lifting
• Cumulative spinal stress
• Sudden impact or trauma
• A previous injury
• A fall
• Lack of exercise
• Overexertion
• Poor posture
• Long periods of sitting

The spine is directly affected by the chemical, physical and emotional stress of everyday living which can result in spinal misalignments that are known as “subluxations.”

Left untreated, subluxations can cause the opening between an individual’s vertebrae to narrow and compress, irritating and stretching the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can frequently be traced to one or more misaligned vertebra.

The most common cause of sciatica is an irritation of nerve roots as they exit from the spine.
Eventually, damaged nerves can restrict joint movement which interferes with the release of lubricants to an individual’s discs.

When unhealthy discs dry out, the result is that the gel-like center begins to bulge out or herniate. The bulging or herniated disc matter can press against the sciatic nerve, resulting in additional irritation. As a result, irreversible damage may occur if the nerve interference is not removed. The consequence is that permanent damage to the musculoskeletal system may have already occurred by the time an individual begins to feel pain or numbness.

Chiropractors can identify the specific misaligned vertebrae and remove resulting nerve irritation. Once a diagnosis has been made chiropractors can use gentle and safe spinal adjustments to correct the underlying causes of sciatica. Patients frequently feel better after a few adjustments and continue care to prevent the spinal misalignment from returning. Chiropractors can recommend changes made to the work or home environment to also help prevent sciatica from returning. Just as a person takes time to take care of their teeth, they also need to take time to take care of their back. Similarly, just as a person needs a dentist to maintain healthy teeth, they need a chiropractor to maintain a healthy spine.