If there’s anything that unites most adult Americans, it may be that four out of five of them suffer from back pain at some point in their lives, adding up to millions of lost work days every year. Since the spine is a complex structure full of facet joints and supporting soft tissue, it isn’t surprising that things can go wrong, nor that symptoms are debilitating when problems arise.
Chiropractic and back pain
Treatment of back pain can be equally complex, because it often isn’t clear what, exactly, is causing pain, particularly when it becomes chronic. Patients with back issues often seek out chiropractic care, since chiropractic adjustments are frequently associated with back pain as a remedy.
Although chiropractic techniques can relieve back pain, the true nature of care is supporting your body’s ability to heal itself. Chiropractic adjustments seek to restore full blood flow and release pressure on nerves by bringing the joints of your body into balance. Though it often seems like chiropractic care is relieving your pain, your body is actually doing the work, supported by your adjustments.
Cumulative effects of imbalance
Over time and because of challenges to natural posture, it’s common for joints to become unbalanced anywhere in your body. These tiny misalignments may not have an immediate effect, but they may lead to further unbalances as your body compensates for its changing center of gravity.
This may lead to strain on muscles and other soft tissue. Nerve passageways can be reduced, leading to compression and inflammation of nerve tissue. Blood flow may similarly be affected meaning that the raw materials for natural healing may not arrive in sufficient quantity for prompt healing.
These effects can occur in any joint in your body. Since the spine has such a high concentration of complex joints, it’s often significantly affected.
Nonsurgical spinal decompression
Spinal decompression targets the imbalanced forces on your spine by gently stretching spinal components. In particular, the cushioning spinal discs between most vertebrae benefit from this pressure relief, since they’re made of gel-like materials that can rupture and add to nerve and blood vessel compression issues.
Bulging or ruptured discs now have a chance to retract, freeing up restricted tissue, restoring natural circulation and relieving nerve irritation. As with many medical procedures, patients respond differently to spinal decompression. It may produce significant results on its own, or it may be part of a treatment plan that includes other therapies, exercises, and lifestyle modifications.
Contemporary spinal decompression therapy is painless, safe, drug-free, and comfortable for most patients. It’s a conservative treatment that can produce results where other therapies have not, and you should consider nonsurgical decompression before undergoing back surgery, which is often a last resort that may not produce substantial relief.
To find out more about spinal decompression and other chiropractic treatments for chronic back pain, contact Peninsula RSI Chiropractic Wellness Center. Dr. Dana Robinson and her team are specialists in the treatment of back pain and experts with nonsurgical spinal decompression techniques.
You can call the office directly or use the online appointment request tool to schedule your consultation. Relief is at hand, so contact Peninsula RSI Chiropractic Wellness Center today.