Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Back Pain Treatment With Chiropractic Therapy

By David Greene


So you injured yourself at work by lifting something too heavy and then you end up in the emergency room for treatment and subsequently you now saying your local chiropractor. Usually what will happen is that the local chiropractor will get you feeling better in no time.

Patients are usually referred to chiropractors when fractures, infections, or cancer are ruled out in the hospital. Sometimes the pain may not be too bad so all that might be necessary at some stretching and some simple diet changes.

Most chiropractors utilize a hands-on technique. They do not write for prescription medications and attempt to treat patients nonoperatively and avoid spine surgery. The basic concept on chiropractic treatment is to fix an individual spinal alignment and to heal the patient without surgery by fixing the root cause of the problem.

Spinal adjustments are utilized by chiropractors to increase range of motion that has been decreased from scar tissue or pain from a pinched nerve. Most common problem seen is poor back support which can cause a significant amount of stress on the low back and actually lead to nerves being compressed.

Once you have your appointment with the chiropractic doctor, they will perform a comprehensive musculoskeletal examination along with looking at your medical history as well as lab tests and imaging studies. The chiropractor can begin working on your spine once they have a good idea of what your diagnosis is.

A lot of chiropractors utilize ultrasound to help relax tight muscles, and electrical stimulation may also be utilized to tire out your muscles and relieve muscle spasms. This electrical stimulation involves electrodes and small pads which go on the skin and transmit the electrical impulses for pain relief.

But if all else fails, they resort to spinal manipulation, the most common method of relieving patients of back pain. This method is using the ability of manipulating joints back into place with abrupt force.

After spinal adjustments, patients typically have increase range of motion and decreased pain in the affected area. At times the chiropractor may place a small heel lift in your shoes to stabilize and off-balance pelvis and improve the posture of your back.

Once all of your muscles and joints have been popped back in the place, your chiropractor will relay instructions on a home-based exercise program to performed preventively to hopefully avoid further injury.

Chiropractors may also prescribe a variety of home modifications that include coping strategies, diet modifications, and core strengthening to decrease your risk of a long term chronic back pain problem.




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