Back Pain

Back Pain, Will I Have to Live with it?

Pain is a warning sign. Like the piercing sound from a smoke alarm, the alarm isn't the problem. The alarm has a cause, just like every ache or pain has a cause. Some people choose to cover up the pain instead of correcting the cause. What's your approach?

The nerve-rich facet joints on the back side of each spinal bone area a common cause of back pain. If these pairs of interlocking "fingers" aren't moving right, they can cause painful symptoms.

The discs between spinal bones can be a source of pain, too. These rings of fibrous tissues act as spacers, connectors and "shock absorbers" for the spine. Trauma cab cause the soft, pulpy material in the middle to bulge or herniate, putting pressure on delicate nearby nerves.

Once you know the cause, you have several choices. One approach is bed rest. But research shows that prolonged bed rest can actually delay the recovery and make the problem worse!

Physical therapy is another option. But exercising spinal joints that aren't working right is like continuing to drive your care with misaligned tires!

Another choice is to numb or cover up the pain with drugs. While drugs can offer temporary relief, they can't correct functional problems of affected spinal joints. People with chronic pain are often given prescriptions for opioid pain relievers to help manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may lower your need to take these pain relievers. A large 2020 Study compared the number of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers filled for adults who visited just their doctor or who visited both a chiropractor and their doctor to treat spinal pain. The study found that adults who visited a chiropractor were less likely to get an opioid prescription filled for their pain compared to those who only saw their doctor. Additionally, Patients who saw a chiropractor as their initial provider for low back pain (LBP) had 90% decreased odds of both early and long-term opioid use.

The most drastic measure is surgery. A laminectomy cuts off the offending facet joints, leaving the spinal cord exposed! A spinal fusion cuts out disc tissue and immobilizes the joint. While there may be times when surgery makes sense, it's expensive, risky, and more than half of all back surgeries fail.

More and more people are choosing chiropractic care for back pain first. Specific chiropractic adjustments can help improve spinal function. A 2017 Review of Studies found that spinal manipulation was associated with moderate improvements in short-term back pain and function compared to placebo treatment for up to 6 weeks. Plus, the American College of Physicians recommends that doctors encourage people with chronic low back pain to first seek non-medication treatments before taking medication to treat their pain.

Better yet, chiropractic is safe. Chiropractic is natural. And chiropractic looks to correct the underlying cause of the problem in a more affordable manner. In a 2016 study, researchers looked at the potential financial benefits of chiropractic treatment for Medicare recipients with chronic back pain. The researchers found that people who received chiropractic treatment had a lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined that their treatment duration was shorter than that of those who had conventional medical treatment.

The results of a clinical trial showed that chiropractic care combined with usual medical care for low back pain provides greater pain relief and a greater reduction in disability than medical care alone. The study, which featured 750 active-duty members of the military, is one of the largest comparative effectiveness trials between usual medical care and chiropractic care ever conducted. Goertz et al. (2018) JAMA Open Network
Reduced odds of surgery were observed for…those whose first provider was a chiropractor. 42.7% of workers with back injuries who first saw a surgeon had surgery, in contrast to only 1.5% of those who saw a chiropractor. ”Keeney et al (2012), Spine

Older Medicare patients with chronic low back pain and other medical problems who received spinal manipulation from a chiropractic physician had lower costs of care and shorter episodes of back pain than patients in other treatment groups. Patients who received a combination of chiropractic and medical care had the next lowest Medicare costs, and patients who received medical care only incurred the highest costs. Weeks et al (2016), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

What are the 3 categories of back pain?
Types of Back Pain

Acute back pain happens suddenly and usually lasts a few days to a few weeks.
Subacute back pain can come on suddenly or over time and lasts 4 to 12 weeks.
Chronic back pain may come on quickly or slowly and lasts longer than 12 weeks and occurs daily

How to Relieve Lower Back Pain - Back pain is a virtually pervasive ailment in the United States. As high as 80 percent of U.S. Americans are afflicted with back pain occasionally. Lower back pain is the most common. It is often caused by typical strains or sprains from basic house or yard work, chronic conditions like arthritis, or the intermittent recurrence of pain from old sports or work injuries. Of course, you should see your chiropractor or family doctor for any severe or suddenly occurring back pain. But, for typical pain or discomfort in the lower (or upper) back area, there are basic measures you can take to alleviate it at home without medical intervention.

How to Relieve Various Kinds of Lower Back Pain at Home - Below are a few examples of the kinds of low back pain you may be able to resolve with simple efforts at home and some that require chiropractic or other clinical care.

Better Posture - Bad posture may cause or increase back pain. People who work sitting down for many hours are vulnerable to back pain due to posture issues. Remember to sit straight. Relax your shoulders, and rest your back against the chair for support. Keep your feet flat on the floor to help straighten the spine. Use a small cushion or towel behind your lower back if needed for enhanced lumbar support.

Improved Sleep - Sleeping in some positions can cause the spine to be aggravated and that can lead to back pain. To position the spine more ideally to avoid pain, consider lying on your side with a pillow between your knees. This straightens and relaxes the spine, which relieves strain on the back. If you prefer sleeping on your back, place a pillow under the knees.

Gentle Physical Activity - Depending on the nature of your back pain, remaining sedentary for too long may actually make the pain worse and can cause other physical problems. After a couple of days of resting, it may be advisable to reintroduce light activity, like leisurely walking, swimming, or gentle flexibility exercises for lower back pain relief.

Ice and Heat - Alternating ice packs with heat applications can sometimes help alleviate back pain caused by inflammation from a minor injury. Use ice packs for self-treatment a few times daily for around 20 minutes or so. Then, in several days, start using heat applications instead. These will relax the aching muscles and stimulate greater circulation in the area of the muscle pain.

When It’s Time for Professional Back Treatment -
A recent study on chiropractic care for low back painHarvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School referenced A 2018 Study published in JAMA Network Open in their blog. They stated that it is among the latest to weigh in on the pros and cons of chiropractic care for treating low back pain. Researchers enrolled 750 active-duty military personnel who complained of back pain. Half were randomly assigned to receive usual care (including medications, self-care, and physical therapy) while the other half received usual care plus up to 12 chiropractic treatments.

After six weeks of treatment, those assigned to receive chiropractic care:

reported less pain intensity
experienced less disability and more improvement in function
reported higher satisfaction with their treatment
needed less pain medicine.

Here are some basic treatments your chiropractor may administer for back pain:

A chiropractor’s signature technique of treating low back pain is spinal manipulation, with the stereotypical popping noise that’s actually the sound of a gas bubble releasing between joints. Did you know that there are multiple types of spinal manipulation? Some are completed by hand and others require the help of a small, specially designed instrument.

In addition to classic adjustment methods, chiropractors use other special therapies that are designed to reduce pain and improve the health of the spine and surrounding structures.

The specific method your chiropractor will use with you depends on your physical condition and the cause for your underlying back pain. And while chiropractors approach low back pain with a holistic approach, by addressing nutrition, stress, and exercise, spinal manipulation is an important tool for making sure the musculoskeletal system is in optimal alignment and reducing pain.

Here are the most common spinal manipulation and adjustment methods.
Toggle drop - This technique involves the use of a quick, precise thrust to a specific area of the spine to relieve back pain. When applying a toggle drop, the chiropractor crosses his or her hands and then presses firmly down, using the controlled motion to improve mobility in the vertebral joints.

Motion palpation - Rather than an adjustment, motion palpation is a diagnostic tool. It’s a way of observing the spine to identify any areas in the spinal column that are out of alignment or not moving freely. The practice involves the chiropractor placing his or her hands at specific places along the spine and then guiding the patient through a series of movements. The chiropractor will feel the entire spinal column—from lumbar to thoracic—to identify any areas that feel out of alignment.

Lumbar roll - The lumbar roll is one of the more common chiropractic techniques, particularly for patients with low back pain.
For this technique, patients lie on their sides while the doctor stands on the front plane of the body. The chiropractor applies a rapid, precise thrust to the problematic area, returning the vertebrae to proper alignment.

Release work - Chiropractic release work involves gentle pressure placed along the spine to gently separate the vertebrae and encourage free flow of the spinal column while reducing pain.

Table adjustments - This type of spinal manipulation involves the use of a table that has a drop piece—a portion of the table literally drops below the rest. For this adjustment, the chiropractor examines the patient to ensure the body is in the proper positioning. The chiropractor applies a rapid thrust to the area out of alignment, and the table’s drop piece lowers down at the same time the thrust is applied. The act of the table dropping down allows the force from the chiropractic adjustment to dissipate, making the adjustment more comfortable for both the patient and the doctor.
While many manual adjustments require the back to be twisted, table adjustments do not require this. This method is highly effective, but also very specialized, requiring both special equipment and skill. Table adjustments are wonderful for unlocking the spine and encouraging total mobility while reducing back pain.

Instrument adjustments - This is a gentle type of spinal manipulation that is not as hands-on as the previously described techniques. Chiropractors use a spring-loaded activator instrument to adjust the spine while the patient lies face down on the table.
The instrument provides a gentle method of freeing vertebrae, and it can also be used on the extremities to encourage optimal alignment.
Humans aren’t the only ones to benefit from instrument adjustments; animals can, too.

In addition to these methods for adjusting the spine and encouraging proper alignment, chiropractors also use release techniques.
Flexion-distraction technique - People with low-back pain or leg pain resulting from disc injuries may benefit from this commonly used procedure.
To start, the patient lies on a specially designed table that stretches the spine. The chiropractor isolates the area with the affected discs, flexing the spine in a gentle pumping rhythm. Patients should feel no pain. This procedure is believed to work by moving the disc away from the nerve, which reduces inflammation and pain. The technique is typically performed over multiple sessions and often in conjunction with other therapies, such as physiotherapy. Patients are usually given exercises to do at home to alleviate the pain related to lower back disc injuries. If, at the end of 12 sessions, patients have not improved, they’re usually referred for further imaging or a spinal specialist to investigate the problem.

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine compared patients with chronic low back pain who received flexion distraction to those who participated in an exercise program. Researchers followed the patients for one year after treatment, and found those who received flexion distraction reported less pain than those who participated in the exercise program.

Pelvic Blocking - Another treatment used for patients with disc-related, low back pain is pelvic blocking. This procedure involves the use of cushioned wedges that are placed under each side of the pelvis. The chiropractor begins specific, gentle movements that allow gravity to encourage separation between the disc and the nerve, lessening pain. This gentle, non-forceful method creates space for healing to happen. In those cases where patients do not demonstrate improvement, they are referred for spinal imaging or a specialist for further review.

Physical Therapy - If the cause of your lower back pain cannot be corrected with recommended simple self-treatment options but that does not require an invasive solution, physical therapy may help. Your physical therapist can work with you on ways to stand, sit, and move your body to maintain spinal alignment and avoid strain on the back. Your therapist can also help you strengthen back support muscles.

Massage Treatments - As a supplemental therapy for other self-help or clinical management, massage offers multiple potential benefits for back pain. Therapeutic massage can reduce muscle tension, increase circulation, promote muscle relaxation, promote greater flexibility, and enhance sleep. Massage also increases endorphin levels, which can be very helpful in mitigating pain.

For over 20 years, Vitality Health Center has been helping people obtain lasting relief from lower back pain. We utilize both chiropractic and physiotherapy methodologies. If your efforts to relieve your lower back pain at home are not working well enough, don’t continue suffering. Real and lasting low back pain relief is available.

If you are dealing with back pain, lower back pain, acute back pain or chronic back pain symptoms and you are looking to find long-lasting relief, talk with, Dr. John T. Toth, our dedicated chiropractor at Vitality Health Center by calling 651-773-9414.

Vitality Health Center serves patients in White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Shoreview, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Woodbury, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Pine Springs, Grant and surrounding areas.

*Content on this page can also be found in the Backpain brochure at our clinic ©2003 Patient Media, Inc.