Back pain is a common event for many people as they reach middle age, and not only for people who spend a lot of time lifting or playing contact sports. There are a number of reasons that people can suffer back pain as they age, even people who are relatively sedentary. In fact, living a sedentary lifestyle can make back pain even more likely in some cases!
Whatever the source of back pain, one of the best treatment modalities to look into is therapy with a Doctor of Chiropractic. There are a number of options offered through a chiropractor, including spinal (back) and cervical (neck) manipulation, spinal decompression therapy, and other modalities to help alleviate both back pain and other disruptive symptoms.
Neck and back pain tends to be the bread-and-butter for the practice of many chiropractors, simply because the injuries and ailments which cause back pain are so prevalent in modern society. While there are many other health problems with which a chiropractor may be able to assist a patient, the special training undertaken by a good chiropractor lends itself very well to people who are suffering either acute or chronic back pain, depending on the source. The vast majority of back pain sufferers can receive some relief through the non-invasive and non-surgical interventions of chiropractic.
Back pain sufferers are often placed in situations where they are treated only once their symptoms begin to act up (again and again), which makes them something of an "out of sight, out of mind" patient for practitioners of modern medicine. With that mindset, however, back pain recurrences are accepted as a given, and no thought is offered as to how a patient might avoid future problems with back pain!
Chiropractic, however, is strongly focused on the preventive aspects of health care. In contrast to much of Western medicine, chiropractors will often train their patients regarding the specific steps they might take in order to improve their back health, and otherwise positively affect their state of wellness. In addition, chiropractors are often able to provide swift and reliable relief for back pain through adjustments and decompression therapies. For many patients, this relief alone is worthwhile, because it does not involve painkilling or muscle-relaxing drugs and their side effects.
Above and beyond getting patients out of immediate pain, chiropractors usually will maintain a continuing therapeutic relationship with patients, seeing them regularly and keeping constant tabs on their level of back pain as well as their overall well-being. With this knowledge, a chiropractor is able to fully understand the patient's trajectory of health, whether they are making improvements or lagging behind, whether they are feeling more or less back pain, and how well they are progressing with their exercises, therapies, rehabilitation, and other considerations. This is a key element to good chiropractic care, and it is important for any health care provider who wishes to truly track the health of patients.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to see more of that mindset in medicine today? It is there for patients who work with a good Doctor of Chiropractic.
