How to Prevent the Likelihood of Back Pain

By Dr. Molly Casey

Back pain is real and can be debilitating and life changing. So is there anything you can practice in your daily life to help prevent it? What can you do conservatively once you are experiencing it? How committed are you to not experiencing it or -- if you’ve had it before -- not experiencing it again? Your commitment levels are illustrated in your daily actions. Take a read and see what you can do to help yourself.

Statistics

How many people are really affected by back pain, is it really that widespread? Here are a few bullet points from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

• Worldwide back pain is the single leading cause of disability
• Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work
• It is stated likely 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life

Prevention and Care

It is always quite interesting to me that often the very same prevention practices are also some of the greatest conservative care options. The bottom line is that, at some point in your life, you will have back pain. If you lean toward conservative measures of care to achieve optimal health, you will likely need to engage with these practices below. You have a choice: do you wish to engage with these to prevent what is statistically likely to occur, or do you simply get In a rut first and then use these practices to pull yourself out of the pain.

Chiropractic Care

The spine houses the nervous system. The nervous system is the communication system and you function because of that system. When it is running optimally, you have a better chance of optimal health and fewer episodes of pain and symptoms. The intention behind a chiropractic adjustment is to keep the spine healthy and moving optimally to facilitate the best possible communication system function between the brain and body.

The adjustments improve or restore spinal joint range of motion, they can decrease the inflammatory response often present in those with back pain, assist in the process of restoring proper spinal biomechanics, and allow musculature to relax out of spasms and start to perform normal functions of motion again. These are all incredible positive side effects of the chiropractic adjustment that ultimately help those with episodes of acute, chronic, and severe cases of back pain. Regular chiropractic adjustments promote the health and function of the spinal joints and the body as a whole.

It is reasonable to infer that incorporating these into your health practices prior to any episodes of pain and symptoms would be beneficial in prevention.

Address Weight Issues

Your spine is a machine and your weight load affects it in either a positive or negative manner. There are no two ways about it. Excess weight means excess wear and tear on the spine, which means it is more likely to degenerate and wear down early. This is not rocket science. Failing to properly care for any machine and then overloading with excess weight during all of its normal functions, the machine will suffer. So you get to choose -- do you evaluate and address any weight issues before or after the statistically likely back pain episodes that you will endure. It’s reasonable to infer that if you deal with the weight issues prior to any back pain and symptom episodes, you’ll become less likely to experience the negative elements of carrying the extra weight on your spine. You choose.

Move Regularly

Life is movement. Your spine is comprised of small joints that require movement and motion for health, wellness, and optimal functioning. When the motion decreases or is interfered with, function decreases and injury is more likely.

Chiropractic adjustments address the motion at the segmental levels of the spine. Gross movement -- regular exercise and stretching -- is required for overall health and wellness, as well as global ranges of motion of the spine (how far can you turn your head to the left and right, whether you can touch your toes). It is wise to incorporate a regular exercise and stretching routine even if it is just a 45-minute walk daily and a 15-minute stretch session every day. By the time episodes of back pain and symptoms arise, one of the most notable issues is a limited range of motion at both segmental and global ranges of motion. You have the option to either address this before or after you experience the statistically likely episode of back pain.

Although chiropractic care is excellent and promotes optimal health and wellness, one of its greatest side effects is how well it helps restore function and relieve back pain episodes and emergencies. If you or someone you love wants to increase the health of their spine and life, or if you find yourself half bent in back pain that’s keeping you from your life and or work, please understand that the doctors at The Joint Chiropractic are ready, open, and waiting to help you out.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics, including but not limited to the benefits of chiropractic care, exercise and nutrition. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.