Low Back Pain Chiropractic Care

It’s going very, very well. I do feel a lot of relief. What I like about here is that he genuinely cares about his patients and he educates you. He’s constantly talking to you about why he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s very good as a doctor, he’s awesome. – Araceli Norte

Low back pain is a common health issue for many people. Nearly everybody will experience lower back pain at any moment in their own lives. This pain can differ from mild to severe and it might be short-term or long-term. When it happens, low back pain can make many everyday tasks difficult to participate and engage in. That all too familiar annoyance, however, can tremendously limit time spent relaxing, working, and even that of relationships.

Moreover, low back pain might also lead to irritability as well as a whole onslaught of additional medical health issues if not treated appropriately. The prevalence of low back pain has become a common problem, amounting to one of the most common reasons for doctor office visits each year. Before considering what type of treatment approach to follow for your back pain, it’s important to understand the anatomy of the spine and how low back pain occurs.

Understanding the Spine

The World Health Organization estimates that in the United States alone, approximately 149 million days of work are lost as a consequence of low back pain. Back pain is considered to be one of the main sources of disability and shortage of work, and it appears in 60 to 70 percent of people in industrialized nations. Understanding your spine and the way it works can help you know some of the problems which exist from aging or injury, including spinal conditions.

Many demands are placed on your own spine. It holds up your head, shoulders, and upper body. It supplies you with the necessary components to help the human body stand up right, and provides flexibility and mobility to bend and twist. Furthermore, it protects your spinal cord. Back pain differs from one person to another. The pain might have a slow beginning or come on suddenly. The pain may be continuous or irregular. Usually, back pain resolves on its own in a few weeks. However, if you’re experiencing persistent low back pain, then you may have already realized how important it is to look for treatment. Chiropractic care is a well-known treatment option which can help offer relief from your low back pain.

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care is a popular, alternative treatment approach which primarily focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a variety of injuries and/or conditions, associated with the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of specific treatment modalities, including spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, among others, a qualified and experienced chiropractor can help relieve low back pain by carefully correcting spinal misalignments, or subluxations.

By realigning the spine, chiropractic care can help promote the human body’s natural healing capabilities, without the need for drugs and/or medications as well as surgical interventions. Although low back pain can happen due to a variety of causes, chiropractic care can include various treatment modalities which are devoted to the management of numerous injuries and disabilities or conditions, including low back pain.

A chiropractor will perform specific treatments based on the individual’s needs, treating the body as a whole rather than simply reducing the symptoms. Many healthcare professionals recommend seeking chiropractic care for low back pain first before considering other, more aggressive treatment approaches. There are two components for chiropractic care techniques and methods: passive treatments to lower the patient’s pain in sequence to it becoming more manageable, and active treatments that the patient participates in independently.

Passive Treatment

If you’re experiencing low back pain, then it could be debilitating, making it difficult for you to go about your day normally. For that reason, it’s very important to seek immediate medical attention from a qualified and experienced healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor or physical therapist, to reduce your pain as much as possible so that you can actively participate in your treatment. These tools are often referred to as passive treatment because they are performed to a patient by the healthcare professional, including:

• Electrical stimulation, such as TENS Units
• Heat/ice packs
• Ultrasound
• Iontophoresis
• Dry needling
• Manual remedies
• Massage
• Hydrotherapy

Healthcare professionals use some of the methods, such as hot/cold packs and massage therapy, to improve blood flow to the affected area, thus reducing swelling and stiffness. Additionally, a chiropractor may utilize electric stimulation therapy, a painless remedy that gives miniature electric waves through your nervous system to relieve pain, reduce muscle strain, and encourage your body to create hormones which are anabolic. A variety of patients may also benefit from hydrotherapy. This involves executing low-intensity moves in water which alleviates strain on muscles while allowing you to move your joints without any distress.

Active Treatment

Active treatment involves exercises performed by the person and are often utilized at the following phases of chiropractic and passive treatments following the very low back pain has subsided enough so that the patient may perform them without any excessive distress. There are numerous different kinds of exercises that a chiropractor or professional physical therapist may recommend, like extending, balance training, and strength training. A variety of them can assist you with your strength, flexibility, mobility and range of motion, but a few help build the muscles around the painful region to provide those regions of the human body collectively with support to reduce low back pain.

Dr. Alex Jimenez’s Insight

A doctor of chiropractic, or chiropractor, will make sure to properly evaluate a patient before making any form of diagnosis or developing a treatment plan. An assessment can include analyzing the patient’s health history, a physical examination, including orthopedic and neurological tests, as well as advanced diagnostic tests. A chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, will then perform a variety of treatment modalities to treat a patient’s low back pain, depending on the specific cause of their symptoms.

What to Expect During a Chiropractor Visit

After you initially visit a chiropractor’s office, your doctor may ask you a couple of questions concerning your health, history, and lower back pain particularly. With this information, you will help your chiropractor provide you with the best treatment plan possible so that you see long-term results for your low back pain as quickly as possible.

Your doctor of chiropractic, or chiropractor, can also offer you an extensive examination. Depending upon your symptoms, your chiropractor may assess your own strength, coordination, flexibility, balance, posture, blood pressure, and heart and respiration rates. This may include using their hands to palpate your spine and surrounding area, along with a visual analysis of your movements.

You are going to learn excellent exercises to perform in your home so you may decrease your low back pain, stop re-injury, decrease strain, and accelerate your healing period. Your chiropractor will recommend specific equipment and will devote a good deal of time educating you about your source of pain and pain management plans. They’ll also implement hands-on exercises to supply you immediate relief.

When you’re well prepared to alleviate or remove your own pain, then seek immediate medical attention, so that a qualified and experienced chiropractor or professional physical therapist can help you live a pain-free life. The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic as well as to spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .

Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez

Additional Topics: Acute Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most prevalent causes for disability and missed days at work worldwide. As a matter of fact, back pain has been attributed as the second most common reason for doctor office visits, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience some type of back pain at least once throughout their life. The spine is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, among other soft tissues. Because of this, injuries and/or aggravated conditions, such as herniated discs, can eventually lead to symptoms of back pain. Sports injuries or automobile accident injuries are often the most frequent cause of back pain, however, sometimes the simplest of movements can have painful results. Fortunately, alternative treatment options, such as chiropractic care, can help ease back pain through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, ultimately improving pain relief.

EXTRA IMPORTANT TOPIC: Low Back Pain Management