It doesn’t matter how good your chiropractor is

Back pain is so prevalent that most of you who read this will deal with it. In fact I am so confident that if you deal with it one time, you will deal with it again and again no matter what you do.  There is one exception, however.

Why is back pain such a problem

The thing is, your back is the center piece for almost everything in your life. Any motion you make, like reaching for a cup, taking a step, or even turning your eyes originate in your spine. The coordination of events to make that happen starts by activating the necessary muscles and joints in your spine to support your extremities to move. Furthermore, it is also the conduit for your nerve system where your brain will coordinate all motion and organ function. So if you find yourself in pain it is for good reason, because without this alert you may do permanent damage that leaves you immobile or with some sort of organ dysfunction.

How does back pain start

Since your back is the center piece for so much it is easily exploited. Let’s take the example of a sprained ankle and what standing and walking with a weird posture for a couple of weeks will do to your spine. First, several joints on both sides from your ankles, knees, hips and vertebrae of your spine will shift position to help you reduce pain and not cause further damage to the area. This causes ligaments and muscles to function out of their norm. Secondly some muscles will be over activated and some will be inhibited so they don’t have too much influence. And when you do this for a couple of weeks you have effectively retrained the body how to move. That is okay in the short term. However, over time tissues will wear out and muscles will fatigue since they are being used outside of their normal job. Now you have more than back pain. You have a back problem. This scenario would be the same from sports trauma directly to the spine, sitting all day, abnormal posture habits, other lifestyle habits and many more.

Why can’t you back pain be fixed permanently

Are you going to stop living life? No. And because of that there is always going to be something that will beat up on your back whether you like it or not. Many people would say that when their back is hurting they go to their chiropractor and they get fixed right up. But does it hurt again? Yes? Did they really fix the problem then?

In full disclosure, the reason you will always have back pain isn’t because of your chiropractor. In fact he/or she is a necessary part to the permanent solution. You will need them to put the spine in proper alignment and break the neurological loop that is the habitual misalignment of your spine (remember, the one caused by the sprained ankle, sitting too much, etc.). This is done through the corrective chiropractic care. But if it stops there, you will have this same problem again.

The only permanent solutions to back pain

The lifetime fix is in your habits. You can get the best chiropractic care from the best chiropractor in the world and if your daily habits don’t support those adjustments you will have pain again. It is your habits that define your health and your lifestyle for today and your future. There are so many easy ways to abuse your spine that without some conscious thought about protecting the center of your existence, you never get pain free.

The necessary habits for a pain free back

If you are serious about taking care of your spine and getting out of pain for good you start with receiving corrective care from a qualified chiropractor. With that doctor and your own research, you first devise a plan of all the habits you will need to implement to promote a health spine. This list is not all inclusive but it should entail, building muscle mass, specific exercises for your spine, yoga or at least the Cat/Cow, implementing a sit/stand desk for work, getting supportive footwear or even orthotics and implementing good sitting habits.

Once that is done you unpack your habits to find those that are destroying your back.  These may include:

Sitting too long (longer than 30 mins at a time is too much)

Sitting on a wallet

Carrying a heavy purse on one shoulder

Lifting with your back

Exercising in correctly (get a trainer)

And there are so many more……

Now you have a chance to be one of the few who can say that you had back pain once but you fixed it. You fix it when you realize its importance and its need to be kept up. It won’t take care of its self. It needs you to be conscious of its care and the necessary habits to keep it healthy and functioning perfectly. Then there will be no pain.

If you are in pain and would like to move towards a permanent solution, the first step is to have that evaluation to see if corrective care is needed. Please give us a call at 970-300-2166 or schedule a consultation HERE.