It is said that around 80% of people or every 4 in 5 people will suffer low back pain at some point in their lives. This is poses a few questions in my mind. Firstly, how are people managing and correcting their low back pain? Secondly, why are so many people hurting themselves and getting this pain in the first place? And lastly why am I as a chiropractor not booked out for weeks in advance just helping people with low back pain. This last comment may seem a bit cheeky but when you think about it, as chiropractors we spend 5 years learning about how the spine and pelvis move and many ways to keep these joints moving well and also how to work on the muscles that are attached to the spine, that are no doubt contributing to lower pain.
So how are people currently treating their low back symptoms? I would guess a range of ways and hopefully if they are not seeing me they are seeing some kind of therapist whether this be a physio, acupuncturist
t, massage therapist or another manual therapist of sorts.Which is great if people can find help using these methods then awesome work. Unfortunately many people are not doing anything, they are waiting for the pain to get better on it’s own or even worse they are popping a whole lot of pills to numb the pain and in doing so keep pushing, though probably doing more damage in the process.
If you are currently one of these people truth is if it hasn’t settled down own it’s own by now it probably won’t and even if it does, think about the way you’ve been walking, lying and shuffling around while it has been sore. It is probably still a good idea to see somebody about what your body has been through.
80%, is a big number. Why is this such a large number? Here is my personal opinion of why so many people suffer from lower back pain at some stage, based of basic anatomy and experience in practice. As humans in general we don’t care for our spine very well. We brush our teeth everyday to keep our smile looking good, get haircuts to look and feel good, trim our finger nails and toe nails to keep them in check, yet our poor spines get so much stress placed on them day in, day out and we don’t for a second think maybe we do something to keep the spine moving as well as it can be. In fact most of us probably don’t give our spines a second thought unless it gets sore, at which point we forget all the hard work and good it has done us and just curse it because it is sore.
Our bodies are made to move, this includes all of the small joints that make up our spine. Overtime and years of stress these joint can stop moving as well as they should, the muscles that attach to the spine get tight and stop functioning at their best until one day you bend over in the garden or put your shoes on then BANG, your back is sore. So in my opinion the reason for such high numbers of back pain is more than likely years of neglect of the spine, with obviously the exception of an illness or major trauma. Luckily you have an awesome chiropractor who is going to give you some simple advice on how to look after your spine and hopefully not join this very large statistic.
So what is the best way to care for your spine? Short answer MOVE. Not so short answer, move in non repetitive ways, stretch out the muscles and look after your body. Walking is great exercise for your spine, it helps keep bone density and also helps keep the discs (shock absorbers) in your back healthy. Swimming is another great exercise for the back as there is no direct load placed on the joints of the body.
Stretching – you would not believe how much better you feel and how much less pain and discomfort you will be in if you added stretching into your daily routine. Below are 3 simple stretches to get you started. You should feel an uncomfortable pull when stretching, if at all you feel sharp pain then stop doing that particular stretch.
Hamstrings- Stretching out your Hamstrings is great to ease the tension on your lower back.
Straighten one leg and try and pull your toes towards your body.
Spinal Twist – This stretch is great for the larger back muscles and also can aid your digestive system.
Straighten one leg and bend knee opposite knee over, reach the arm on the side of the straight leg over your bent knee and twist your body around.
Child’s pose- T
his stretch is great for the lower back but also the middle of your back too and the front of the arms. Get into the position below and then actively push your bum towards your heels, you may not get all the way, just go as far down as you can.
Chiropractic care – Yes I know a shameless plug. Like I said before we are trained to assess the spine see how it is moving and more importantly get it moving again when it is not. This can of course help those of you already suffering with low back pain & especially if you have tried everything else then give chiropractic a try. But again we brush our teeth everyday to avoid cavities, we don’t just leave it and see a dentist when we have a sore tooth. So why not just be just as productive about your spinal health, if you know your stiff and tight then come in and get your spine checked before you do get sore. The most common phrase I hear from people is “why did I not do this sooner”. Lower back pain isn’t a normal part of aging and if we look after our spines they will look after us.
Don’t forget I offer an 15 min FREE consult so you really have nothing to loose.
