View of a man's back with his spine and back pain highlighted.

Did you know that more people suffer from some form of back pain compared to other types of pain? Over 31 million Americans have chronic back pain that interferes with daily life. This can happen due to exercise, injuries, posture, pregnancy, and even from your back slowly getting out of line over time. The reasons for back pain are vast, and the problems can become increasingly worse without help. However, back pain is something that can be treated quickly through proper chiropractic rehabilitation.

 

Fast Facts About Back Pain

Did you know that back pain is the most common form of pain that people experience? In fact, studies predict that about 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life. Here are some fast facts about this chronic pain:

  • A reported 31 million Americans have pain in their back every single day.
  • The most common form is lower back pain, which is pain in the lumbar spine.
  • Workplace studies show that ½ of all working Americans have pain in their back throughout the work day.
  • The American Chiropractic Association reports that low back pain is the “single leading cause of disability worldwide”, from a report by the Global Burden of Disease.
  • In the workplace, pain in the back is one of the most common health reasons employers have to miss work.
  • Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States.
  • The spinal column in the back protects some of the most vital parts of your body, which are the brain and spinal cord. The spine encases these delicate, vital parts while still upholding the rest of the body, which is a feat in itself.
  • Some forms of spinal pain or pain in the back stem from chronic, degenerative conditions. However, the majority of cases are caused by simple factors.

 

Woman that is sitting on her bed and experiencing back pain.

Why Does Back Pain Happen?

From our experience working with patients, there are many common factors as to why our patients experience back or spinal pain. The most common causes of that pain include:

  • Injuries from improper lifting or pulling
  • Degenerative discs
  • Herniated discs
  • Overuse injuries to the spine
  • Sprains and strains
  • Scoliosis and other skeletal irregularities
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Vertebral fractures
  • Disc tears or injury
  • Poor bone and muscle strength
  • Auto accidents where injury or whiplash was involved
  • Falls, trips and slips
  • Poor posture or a sedentary lifestyle

 

The cause of your back pain will depend on if you have had an injury or car accident recently. Taking a good look at your lifestyle can also indicate causes. Activities that lead to back pain could be simply lifting something too heavy, over-stretching, twisting while holding something heavy, sudden jerks or movements and short falls.

 

Injuries and Back Conditions

If you don’t have a chronic condition, it’s possible you have injured your back. This happens often in the workplace when workers lift heavy objects with their back instead of their legs. This can cause tears, vertebral fractures, pinched nerves and other injuries even if you feel like you haven’t done much. Many chronic conditions as well will weaken your back structure over time, causing pain and inflammation. Arthritis is one such example because it degenerates (or wears away) the cushioning between discs.

 

Some methods of avoiding back pain or dealing with it include:

  • Stay at a healthy weight through diet and exercise. Excess weight puts pressure on joints.
  • Maintain good posture when sitting, standing and exercising.
  • Always left with your legs instead of putting all the pressure on your back to do a task. Be slow with movements when lifting and turn your entire body instead of only your back.
  • Be active. People who work out (and do it properly) have a lower chance of having back problems or pain.
  • Avoid a sedentary lifestyle or bedrest.
  • Get proper nutrition. Poor nutrients can hinder the fuel your muscles and tissues get, weakening them and leaving them open to injury. Even nerves can be damaged, the largest of which are in your spinal column and brain.
  • Go to a chiropractor for your pain instead of a surgeon, as surgery is not needed in many cases.

 

Close-up view of a person receiving a chiropractic adjustment.

What Can You Do?

Choosing natural methods of relief is always the safest for your body. Chiropractic care is great, natural option for patients with back pain. This is a non-surgical approach to helping chronic pain conditions, which seeks to put a person’s musculoskeletal system back in proper position. When the body follows a straight line, pressure is even on all the joints, tissues, vertebrae, muscles and more, and fewer injuries occur. When pain happens in one area of the body, a chiropractor can use gentle manipulations to pop joints back into place. Some patients see relief right away.

 

Spinal decompression is another treatment that is very effective for relieving back or spinal pain. The procedure is designed to help alleviate the pain associated with bad spinal discs. This therapy creates a bio-feedback loop between the patient and the computer. Disc decompression tables read the amount of stress that is being placed upon them by the patient. This allows subtle changes during treatment to help patients find relief from pain. The biofeedback loop with spinal decompression overcomes back reflex actions and effectively impacts deep soft tissues of the spine.

 

Proper Prevention

You don’t have to be part of the 80% who will experience back pain. If you happen to be one, don’t keep living with your pain! There are excellent treatments for current pain and tips to prevent getting pain in your back. See what a chiropractor can do for your back problem so you can get back to what you love. Call Spine Correction Center of the Rockies today at (970) 658-5115 for your free consultation!