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Chiropractic Advice For Long Term Back Care


The extent that low back pain interferes with the quality of life of many Americans is remarkably high. Many are disabled by the problem to the degree that work productivity suffers. Statistics show that on average, 54 to 80 percent of adults struggle with back pain throughout their lives, while 60 percent will continue to have back pain for five years or longer after the initial instance.

Fortunately, chiropractic care has been shown by concrete evidence to be more effective than medical care in treating long term back pain. This requires that the chiropractor tailor a recovery program individual for each patient, however, because not all back pain cases are the same. For most cases of back pain a three step process for treatment can be followed. These steps include spinal adjustment, postural stabilization, and rehabilitative exercise. In combination, these three components can mean the difference between successfully curing back pain and having it reoccur later.

Spinal adjustments are the main practice of chiropractic care and for good reason. Research over the decades shows that a two to three week program of daily spinal adjustments can bring improvement to completely disabled patients with chronic low back pain. One particular study used participants who had failed to respond to medical care for their back pain, like surgery. The best chiropractic results were found to result from at least two weeks of spinal adjustment, nothing less.

Postural stabilization plays a significant role in lessening pressure from a misaligned skeleton on sensitive nerves and tissues in the region of the lumbar spine, an area that is sometimes overlooked by other health care professionals. To stabilize the posture external supports can be used to decrease unnatural pressure. These external supports can take the form of positioning aids like postural back rests, ischial lifts for chairs and carseats, and standing orthotics for the feet like heel lifts. Sleeping supports like specialized mattresses and pillows are also effective. 

Rehabilitative exercises can be done at home to strengthen the muscles that support the lower back. This sort of active exercise on the part of the chronic back pain patient has been shown to be very effective for recovering from lower bak pain. It promotes flexibility and strength which benefits the lumbar spine while decreasing pain levels. The focus of the exercise should be the abdominal muscles, pelvic muscles, and low back muscles. Exercise also improves the performance of shock absorbing tissues. 

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Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Nicolás Boullosa

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