Low Back Pain Treatment: Stop the Pain!

How you do your work, or any regular activity, must be analyzed in relation to its effect on the body.

A chiropractic adjustment deals with muscles, bones, and joints and their proper relationship one to another. Muscles move bones at the joints. If the alignment is good, movement is normal, natural, and healthy.

Most of our patients are either working long work hours (10-12+/day) at the computer or sitting in front of one for too long when work and home time are combined.

Much the same as some professional sports teams, some companies hire chiropractors to be on staff in order to address such postural stress problems preventively, and to provide back pain relief as needed to the hardworking employees and management.

Gravity Takes a Toll

Even if the ergonomics of your computer or PlayStation is optimal for your height, the other main variable is that of the human frame as positioned by gravity.

Healthy muscles contract when called upon to do so, and should be allowed to relax when not in use. Problems are created when muscles stay contracted for hours and hours with no breaks.

A substance called lactic acid builds up causing inflammation and pain. The tight contracted muscles pull on their tendons (the end of muscles that attach to bones) and, over time, can cause tendinitis.

The tight muscles pull the bones together, closing down the joint spaces, causing a reduced range of motion and flexibility. If any bones are misaligned from previous accidents, injuries, or strains, joint inflammation (arthritis) can result.

Low Back Pain Treatment: Addresses Postural Stress Syndrome

Chronically tight muscles deform posture – creating what we call a Postural Stress Syndrome – and weaken muscles, making it more difficult to hold good posture. So, it becomes a cyclical pattern of poor posture straining muscles and overly tight muscles altering posture – a classic chicken or egg analogy (either one could come first).

How Can You Break Out of the Bad Posture Cycle?

One needs to stretch the tight muscles, strengthen the weaker muscles, and become more aware of one’s postural habits. While improved physical fitness helps to hold and maintain a more erect posture, everyone needs to get evaluated based on the current state of their condition.

This evaluation is what our chiropractic back pain relief department offers, in conjunction with our physical therapist.

1-2-3 Posture Reset

Once you begin working with a chiropractor and your awareness of your postural condition increases, a simple protocol to begin improving your posture is the 1-2-3 Posture Reset protocol. Here’s how it’s done.

When you realize that you are slouching or exhibiting poor posture, regardless of whether you are sitting or standing, do the following three things:

1. Focus on the top of your head, and raise it ceiling-ward or skyward. As you do this you will notice that the head drifts back, the chest comes forward, the low back comes forward, and you get “taller”. Everything lines up under the rising head.

2. When you feel a pull through your torso from your tailbone to the top of your head, and even a little lift off your seat (if you are sitting), drop the chin slightly to lift the back of the head. This should position your face forward and open up the area at the base of your skull.

3. Lastly, do a large (exaggerated) shoulder roll – up, back and down (twice). This should reposition your shoulders further back, pulling your shoulder blades closer together. Now take a moment (at least a deep breath or two) to appreciate this new more erect posture. This is home base – the position you want to be in much of the time, and the position you want to return to multiple times a day as you become aware of slouching or a forward flexed posture which tends to push your head forward, adding stress to your frame.

Low Back Pain Treatment at Root Cause Medical Can Help You!

Lastly, consider seeing a chiropractor for a spinal/postural examination. You may have structural imbalances from previous falls, accidents, injuries, or postural habits that can be normalized with chiropractic adjustments. A gentle chiropractic adjustment puts motion into the joints that otherwise would get stiffer and stiffer, reducing your range of motion and creating pain with the passage of time.

Inquire about our Fitness Program. Even if you work out regularly, you can likely benefit from our tailor-made Fitness Program. We combine physical therapy with chiropractic adjustments to treat joint and muscle complaints. While each separately can achieve wonderful results, together they are a fantastic combination of therapies that complement each other, with results that can be greater than the sum of the parts. We’re here to help.