What Is Back Pain?
Back pain is a generic term that is applied to any pain felt in the back or spine. It’s so common that four out of five Australians will experience it at some point in their life and it tends to affect adults who are over the age of 25.
Back pain is usually categorised into
- Lower back pain
- Upper back pain
- Pain in the spine
- Pain in the coccyx
The sensation of back pain is different for everyone. Some patients report tingling feelings, spasms, aches, stiffness or a lack of mobility. It is interesting to note that while many patients experience physical pain in their backs it can also affect you psychologically, especially if the pain is chronic or recurrent.
What Causes Back Pain?
The spine is very complex and made up of vertebrae that are separated by discs and joints. The back is also made up of muscles and ligaments and a problem can exist with the discs, vertebrae, joints, muscles or ligaments. Chiropractic treatment aims to address pain at the source.
Back Pain Treatment: What To Do?
Your chiropractor is likely to recommend a combination of things to bring you back pain relief.
- Improving poor posture, especially when sitting or standing for extended periods of time
- Strengthening weak back and abdominal muscles
- More physical exercise
- Losing weight to put your back under less strain.
Back Pain Treatment: Where Do You Start?
Your chiropractor will give you a physical assessment. You may be asked questions like
- When the pain started and what you were doing before it occurred
- How you would describe the pain
- Anything you do or have done that makes the pain better or worse.
Back Pain Treatment: What Provides Back Pain Relief
Contrary to what you might think, it’s important that you continue to exercise even if you have back pain. If you must have rest, you should only rest for a day or two.
Pain medication is generally not recommended because it is ineffective and may be habit-forming.
Chiropractic treatment can address the source of back pain problems and may be recommended over an extended period of time to prevent injuries from recurring.
Hot and cold therapy may provide relief from acute symptoms.
Gentle stretching to warm up and cool down after exercise should be adopted to prevent future injury. Strengthening exercises should be undertaken to build the muscles in the back and abdomen.
Posture issues are almost always mentioned in chiropractic treatment because so many people have bad posture and don’t even realise it. Simply improving your posture realigns your skeleton and ensures that weight is evenly distributed.
If you need immediate back pain relief please contact us for an appointment: (03) 9699 9121.
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