Back Pain Facts

The most well known fact about back pain is that it is very common. However, there is so much confusion about treatment of back pain that most people just don't know what the right answer is. Below we've listed some help facts to help you find relief for back pain.

FICTION:

Back pain is something that you just have to live with.

FACT:

An estimated 80% of the population will suffer from some type of back pain in the next 10 years. But just because it is so prevalent does not make it NORMAL. A study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics found that back pain was the 6th most common reason for a person to present to a Medical Doctor. Chiropractic physicians were not included in this study, if they had been, it would have moved to 3rd or 4th. Perhaps back pain has become so prevalent secondary to lifestyles and lack of exercise, but in actuality it is most likely because most people really do not know how or put any energy into it's prevention or how to treat it if it occurs.

FICTION:

There is really no way to prevent back pain.

FACT:

While some conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis are most likely not preventable, they make up a relatively small portion of the back pain in the US. Osteoarthritis, sprains, strains, etc., do have a very real component that can be prevented. Osteoarthritis is generally secondary to trauma (especially repeated trauma) to a joint, and is usually the result of long term repeated trauma to a joint. This trauma can be as simple as working on hard floors all of your life with poorly fitting shoes, or sitting hunched at a keyboard. This is why PREVENTION is the most important component in the treatment of back pain.

FICTION:

The best way to deal with back pain is take an anti–inflammatory medication and go back to what you were doing or back to bed.

FACT:

The newspapers have been filled with study results lately showing just how unsafe this practice can be. Unfortunately, we as a society, have been trained since childhood that there is a pill for every problem, just take it and your problems will magically go away. REMEMBER, EVERY SINGLE PILL HAS SIDE EFFECTS AND LONG TERM EFFECTS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED."I will only take it when I hurt" soon turns into "I take it every day because I hurt every day." Of course you do, you didn't fix the problem, you just covered it up! Now you are in a vicious cycle that could end up with increased risk of heart attack or stroke. It takes time and effort to correct problems rather than treat symptoms, but the effort is well worth it in the long run.

Almost every condition that requires a medication, would require less or no medication if lifestyle were altered to decrease the effect of the condition being treated. Many drugs could be avoided (and health care costs significantly decreased) with the effort to eat right, exercise, and decrease stress. Back pain is no different. Long term drug use and surgery can usually be prevented with lifestyle change and correction of the underlying problem.

FICTION:

There is no research showing that spinal manipulation works for back pain.

FACT:

The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently completed a literature review for their Back Pain Recognition Program and concluded that there was more literature supporting Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation as there was for any other back pain treatment method and that the results showed that it was one of the few treatment methods for uncomplicated back pain that they recommended as first line care. There are more than 75 studies showing the safety, effectiveness and cost effectiveness of chiropractic care for back, neck and related conditions.

FICTION:

Spinal manipulation is unsafe or risky.

FACT:

Spinal manipulation, in the hands of a skilled provider is very safe according to multiple studies performed inside and outside the US. The incidence of serious adverse reaction in patients taking Ibuprofen is 1:45,000. The incidence of serious adverse reaction in spinal manipulation with a skilled practitioner is less than 1:2,000,000 (only a handful worldwide in over 100,000,000 manipulations). A recent report by the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain, reviewed literature and conducted studies that showed that the incidence of stroke or related problems is NO HIGHER in patients that have seen Chiropractic Physicians than in those who have seen Medical Physicians. Their opinion is that people who are already in the early stages of suffering a stroke see either a Medical Physician or Chiropractic Physician for their symptoms and so the statistics show that a stroke occurred within a period of time of seeing either practitioner equally, and that there is no increased incidence for Chiropractic Physicians.

Only physicians, medical, osteopathic and chiropractic are licensed in Florida to perform manipulation. Chiropractic physicians perform 97% of all spinal manipulation and are highly skilled with this procedure. However, the most important thing to make sure it is safe for you is a good examination by the provider. They are highly trained in screening for those patients who might not be a good candidate, which is why the safety record is so good. A provider who offers to manipulate the spine without performing a good examination including orthopedic, neurological and biomechanical tests as well as blood pressure check to rule out risk factors is not the best person to utilize for your care.

FICTION:

"Cracking" the spine or any joint causes arthritis.

FACT:

Cracking (manipulating) your joints does no damage and in fact actually may protect them. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that osteoarthritis is more often present in those who never crack (manipulate) their joints (fingers, back, and knees etc.) than those that do. They believe it is because manipulating a joint results in at least temporary increase in joint space it increases the range of motion of the joint and increases the flexibility of the joint. The BEWARE is that joints mobilized too vigorously or in an abnormal plane of motion could cause damage to the joint. Also, moving the spine in a direction other than the normal motion for the joints could cause damage. Which is why the spine should only be manipulated by a highly skilled doctor with the skill and knowledge to do it correctly and safely.