If you’ve ever suffered from back pain, you know how it canbecome extremely painful and even debilitating. While a simple strain fromoverdoing things can easily pass, sometimes back pain comes from a deeperinjury to the spine that needs adjustment.
Your back has many parts that all work together to supportyour body, protect organs and allow for movement. When you consider that it ismade of 24 vertebrae, 24 ribs, the sacrum, the coccyx, joints, muscles andligaments, all of which can be irritated, strained or sprained, it’s easy tosee why most of us experience back pain at some point.
On top of that, poor posture, obesity, arthritis and evenpsychological stress, diseases such as kidney infections, kidney stones orgallstones, blood clots and more can all contribute to back pain.
Some back pain is mild and can be treated easily at homewith ice and OTC anti-inflammatories, but other back pain is more severe andneeds attention from a professional. That’s where chiropractic care comes tothe rescue.
Chiropractic care involves the manipulation of the vertebraein the spine to achieve alignment, elimination of pain and restoration ofmovement.
Back pain in the cervical and upper thoracic (from the neckto mid-back) is referred to as upper back pain. Any improper or strainedmovement can lead to upper back pain by irritating the nerves and interferingwith muscle movement, which causes pain. This irritation is known as asubluxation, which can cause problems with movement and function.
In the spine, between the vertebrae, are discs. The discsact like shock absorbers, keeping the vertebrae separated. Early interventionand chiropractic care keep the discs in place, enabling the vertebrae tofunction properly.
When a disc herniates or “slips,” the result can lead to bigproblems. While many people have some herniation in some of the discs withoutever realizing it, trouble begins when the material impinges on the nerves.
Think of the disc like a jelly donut. If you press down onone side of the donut, that side squishes together, and the jelly squirts out theother side. This “jelly” and the accompanying swelling aggravates the nervesand causes pain, tingling and even numbness. The damage can become permanent ifnot properly treated.
Discs receive less blood than other body parts and rely onmovement to bring nutrition and hydration. Since disc herniation impairsmovement, chiropractic adjustments are used to restore the movement and allowthe herniated “jelly” to return to the disc.
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