Using Chiropractic Treatment to Relieve Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is a common complaint that can impact on your quality of life and limit your range of movement. GPs usually offer painkillers as a first-line treatment for lower back pain, but these come with a range of side effects and merely mask your pain. Chiropractic treatment has shown to be more effective at treating lower back pain than standard medical treatment. Here's an overview of the common causes of lower back pain and the chiropractic treatment approach:
Causes of Lower Back Pain
You can experience lower back pain when the nerves and muscles in your back are put under too much strain. This can occur when you slouch or hunch your back as poor posture can put pressure on the muscles in your back and reduce blood flow. Trauma from a car accident or fall can cause you to jerk your back, which can damage the delicate nerves and pull the surrounding muscles.
Pregnancy can cause lower back pain as the increased strain on your pelvis can alter your spine's alignment due to your back trying to compensate for the extra weight at the front of your body. You can also experience back pain from overusing the muscles in your lower back. Repetitive strain from activities that require you to twist your back can cause inflammation and lead to stiffness.
Chiropractic Treatment
Your chiropractor will manually adjust your back to free trapped nerves, relieve muscle stiffness and bring the vertebrae back into alignment, which can be pulled out of alignment as your muscles tighten. They will use their hands to perform a number of small manipulations on your lower back, and they will usually combine high-velocity manipulations such as thrusts to restore joint motion with low-velocity manipulations such as muscles stretches.
You will have a postural assessment as part of your treatment and be given advice on correcting bad posture. Your chiropractor will also show you some exercises that can help loosen your muscles and strengthen your lower back, which can prevent a recurrence of your back pain.
Chiropractic treatment for lower back pain is suitable for almost everyone including pregnant women and children. However, your chiropractor may have to make alterations to the manual manipulation techniques they use if you have certain medical conditions, so ensure you disclose any health problems when you register for treatment.
If you're experiencing lower back pain, schedule a consultation with a chiropractor like Surfers Paradise Chiropractic Centre as soon as possible. They will examine your back and formulate a treatment plan to get you back to full fitness.