It has become a bit confusing as to how we sometimes look at our health. When pain strikes the low back we usually think we just incurred or created a new problem or injury. But why then was coughing, shaving, or doing the laundry, so different this time? Why NOW? These are things we do everyday. Rarely is a new episode of low back pain brought on by a well-defined injury or trauma. Trauma in most cases is usually quite trivial. We confuse pain as a signal for something that is physically changing each time.
So what is the problem? The problem nerve interference or subluxation, which ends up as a ligament/muscle problem and occurs with small micro traumas over many years, or sometimes with acute events such as car accidents or falls. Over time the ligaments stretch, causing the joints and vertebrae to displace, irritating the delicate nerve fibers which in turn send garbled signals to muscles that then become weak or spasmed. But over a few days or weeks, the pain that accompanies this injury gradually lessens, and in many cases goes away all on its own. But has the problem also gone away? Likely not, because when ligaments are traumatized, the repair mechanism involves scar tissue, which is less elastic than the original, and makes the joint vulnerable to re-injury and sometimes impairs the free and symmetrical motion of the spine. Our chiropractic examination for this type of joint -ligament – muscle – sprain/strain, called subluxation, uses a-state-of-the-art technology to diagnose the cause of the low back pain. Our specific analyses can show the areas of instability in the spine and how the vertebrae need to be repositioned to promote good alignment and good posture.
The adjustment is designed to reduce misalignment, remove nerve interference, and restore strength and normal motion to the spine. When movements are asymmetrical in the spine, they can lead to premature degeneration of the spine and arthritis. This may be why a simple task such as lifting a laundry basket can flare up the back so easily. You may be lifting with good form and posture but upon an asymmetrical spine, the loading is very off balance. Sometimes the disks are so damaged that a simple sneeze is enough to cause excruciating pain. So when these trivial events seem to trip you up, it means there is an underlying problem that is not getting corrected. That problem more often than not is an undetected subluxation somewhere in the spine that is causing nerve pressure and resultant muscle imbalance and weakness.
We often see in our clinic patients that have already had one or more types of failed low back treatment, perhaps because that treatment was targeted at the area of pain (the symptom), rather than the area of true subluxation (or real cause of the problem). For instance, it is not uncommon at all for a subluxation in the upper spine to be causing postural imbalance, spinal muscle tension, and asymmetrical motion in the lower spine. Many patients present without any pain in the area that is shown to be the actual true cause of their health condition.
In my clinic I use a nerve scan instrument called thermography to determine the areas of the spine that demonstrate to be the cause of true nerve pressure. This is one of the best ways to diagnose and find the cause of nerve related problems such as low back pain. Once the cause of the problem is discovered, precise and specific adjustments are performed, either by a specific hand or instrument adjustment, and then a re-scan of the area is performed to indicate if the adjustment was successful in reducing nerve interference, (the real cause of the problem).
If you or a family member or friend is suffering from low back pain, I encourage you to call our clinic and schedule a free consultation with me to help determine if our specific chiropaactic analysis and adjustment procedures may be right for you.
Sincerely, Dr. Brad McHenry, D.C. – Doctor of Chiropractic
