Well you finally did it this time.
Rushing around the yard before the rain comes and you lifted the wrong thing in an OMG moment ..oops! Now your back is in knots and you’re wondering if chiropractic care or surgery is the right answer.
Fear not, as long as you don’t have pain radiating down your leg and can stand up straight…you’ll probably be okay. Don’t jump right into back surgery just yet! A little heat and ice can go a long way. Most conditions are self limiting and get better on their own.
It’s always a good idea to take stock of things and learn some situational awareness. Stop putting yourself at risk. Even more so if you have long history of back issues and feel you’re on borrowed time.
As a chiropractor and acupuncturist in Rochester NY, I have some helpful tips for your daily routine.
Tips to make sure you don’t end up in the surgeon’s office.
First of all, stretch and exercise is important. If you tend to be a couch potato…get out and get some exercise in!
If you’re too out of shape for prolonged activity, there’s always aquatic exercise programs to get started. Find these programs at health clubs in your local area.
Many back problems start with poor biomechanics and lack of flexibility. Without flexibility in your hamstrings or abdomen areas, you’re at risk for back pain. While core strength is important, flexibility is just as important.
I often see 1-2 patients a month with an acute achy back. These patients actually have a hamstring problem rather than a back problem.
If stretching is not your thing or if you don’t know how to, consider a restorative yoga class. Many people like the structure of a class setting and yoga is excellent to get your flexibility back.
Find classes geared to beginners. My patients are often surprised how much progress they can make in only 3-4 sessions.
Diet and weight loss are also very important. Not just from a quantity point of view, but also quality.
Anyone can loss weight on 1200 calories a day diet. It’s more important to make sure your body is getting enough protein for maintenance and repair. Additionally, a diet geared to anti-inflammatory foods will help reduce your chronic back pain.
Cut down on your daily intake of soft drinks and processed foods.
Instead, add more fruits, vegetables, and foods such as turmeric and ginger. These will help keep the pain down.
Chiropractic adjustments are useful for low back conditions, there is also tremendous benefit that can be had from other forms of Complementary Medicine. Have you ever thought about trying acupuncture or applied kinesiology?
In many ways, Acupuncture is similar to Chiropractic in that it helps brings balance to the nervous system. Like Chiropractic, Acupuncture treatments will reduce pain and swelling. The advantage of Acupuncture is that the needles are small and can go deep into the muscles to get a trigger point area not easily reach by other means.
In the case of Applied Kinesiology, the treatments are often a synergy of western and eastern medicine. The muscle work involves stimulating the origins and insertions points of the muscles and has advantages not seen with conventional western therapies
By contrast, over the counter medications such as Advil and Tylenol do nothing to restore function to the body. They only block the pain. These can have toxic effects on the body. As little as 8gms of Tylenol in a 24 hour period can produce a fatal reaction.
It’s also interesting to note that in 2011 European countries had a 4x lower incidence of back surgery than in the US. Part of that is lifestyle, but also many more options are worked into treatment plans of Holistic Medicine .
For more information on how to best take care of your achy back, contact us today.