Back Pain 101 – The Basics of Back Pain in Vineland

Back pain explained is a great way to help patients understand how back pain occurs, what to look out for, and how it can be fixed. Naturally, in my profession as a Vineland back pain chiropractor, back pain is the number one complaint I see in my office. Unfortunately, many of my patients have more complex conditions that require a team approach from medical doctors, pain management, and so on, but thankfully I have many patients who regularly visit to help prevent such problems from occurring in the future. This post will examine the four main areas of back pain and what to do about it.

Back Pain Explained In Vineland

1. Compression of Dysfunctional Joint
As we progress through life, our joints tend to become compressed and dysfunctional as we use our bodies. Things as simple as sitting, gravity, poor posture, along with more dramatic impacts such as sports and accidents all play a part in the joints in our backs compressing and becoming dysfunctional. This compression may not be apparent to you for many years, if at all, but if it does get so bad and dysfunctional, problems can occur and pain will form because the area becomes inflamed.

2. Increased Inflammation
As the joints fall out of alignment and compress, they do not work and operate as they should. This causes the muscles to also work incorrectly, and the effect is they slide around as they are pushed out of position which causes friction, and thus inflammation. This inflammation is what causes most of the pain at this point. The muscles also tighten and we begin to lose range of motion.

3. Decreased Range of Motion
When we begin to lose range of motion, it can be to varying degrees, from not being able to stand upright to bending over, and so on. As the initial joint doesn’t work properly, it eventually affects the joints above and below it, creating further problems and complications. The whole effect snowballs.

4. Increased Muscle Tone
The fourth main reason for our back pain explained post is increased muscle tone. This is actually the first thing most people notice when they have problems because they find their back muscles begin to tighten up in order to protect the afflicted area and prevent normal movement and further injury. The muscles tighten up because they are overworked.

What do We Need to Do?

The best way to attack back problems is to intervene as early as possible. The longer the problem is left, the more complex it could become, and eventually lead to neurological problems. Compressed joints left untreated could cause the discs to bulge and herniate, which can then infringe upon and pinch the nerves causing pain down the legs and sciatica.

So don’t ignore the messages your back is giving you. The first message you are likely to feel is tightness in your back. At this point, get to a chiropractor because it’s one of the best ways to counter the effects through spinal manipulative therapy. Most of the time, back problems at this point can be easily corrected by an adjustment to get realigned and your spine decompressed and giving back the range of motion you have lost. Once it gets beyond a certain point, while chiropractic care is still very good, it often requires a team approach with other doctors to perhaps apply injections or medications to enable treatment to correct the problem.

Do these things as soon as you can if you feel your back tightening or giving problems:

• Get the inflammation down by applying ice for 20 minutes to the affected area.
• Wear a back belt for improved support.
• Use an inversion table for several minutes a day to help decompress your spine.
• Use a TENs unit to provide relief.
• Get the joint decompressed by visiting a chiropractor.

A chiropractor will provide the most direct and most effective form of treatment to help your back pain. Moreover, if your condition is complex, you will be examined and x-rays are taken if needed to understand the full extent of the injury.

We at Back Pain Relief Center in Vineland have over 16 years of experience helping people get out of their back pain. Call us (856) 690-8883 if you have any questions, or send a message through Facebook and we can help you and get you on the road to having a happy back again.