Oww! My Freakin’ Back!
One of the most common complaints we see at the office is Low Back Pain aka L.B.P. (I know, what a shocker!). There are many reasons why people end up with pain. Everything from a simple movement in an odd direction or a sports injury to a full blown Motor Vehicle Crash. How severe the LBP is can depend on many factors including age, mechanism of the injury, previous trauma, number of previous episodes and overall physical health.
While there are many varying opinions on the best way to deal with uncomplicated low back pain (uncomplicated meaning it’s not something like a broken bone or a seriously pathological reason…IE cancer). But from a chiropractic standpoint, we believe that a change in one or several factors contribute to a condition we collectively refer to as subluxation. While that terms can ruffle some feathers both inside and outside our profession, the bottom line is that is an umbrella term meaning something is wrong with the spine or one of it’s vertebrae. The purpose of chiropractic is to locate these subluxations and correct them. It’s that simple. And while it sounds simple enough, before we can get it corrected…we have to figure a few things out first.
The first thing we do is a VERY in depth exam to figure out what is going on with the patient in front of us. We perform a several tests including evaluation of Range of Motion, some orthopedic tests, a palpation to see how the spine is moving and maybe some X RAYS to see the structure of the spine. Once we gather all that information we schedule a follow up visit to discuss all the exam findings with the patient. From there, we formulate a care plan to start working on the problem and get it resolved and get on the road to healing! Some people respond right away, others take a little while but after all is said and done bit by bit the spine is getting healthier, moving better, and is better aligned. This point is VERY crucial to understand. Pain is just one metric we use to see whether or not the spine is functioning properly. We often remind our folks that chiropractic is not about your pain…its about your health. And very few things in life are as valuable as your health!