Back Pain – Page 4

When it Comes to Posture, the Little Things Matter. Like Sitting on Your Wallet…

August 11, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

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You know the big things that impact your posture, such as the height of your keyboard or whether you slouch on the couch, but it’s easy to overlook the little things. By the way, where is your wallet right now? If it’s currently in your back pocket, we need to have a talk…

Little Things Matter When it Comes to Posture

Your wallet fits so perfectly in your back pocket. Certainly it can’t hurt to keep it there, right? Unfortunately, sitting on your wallet can cause a host of posture problems, which can lead to pain in your back, shoulders, and neck. When half of your posterior is higher than the other, your pelvis twists, the spine becomes misaligned, and your shoulders have a tendency to slump. This isn’t good, but there is a simple solution: just keep your wallet in the front!

Now that your wallet is in the right place, it’s time to look at your feet. What kind of shoes are you wearing? If you’re a woman wearing high heels, think about giving your back a break. Tall heels put you off balance, which your body compensates for by flexing at the hips and spine. The forward curve in your lower back decreases, your knees are stressed, and the muscles in your back, hips, and calves tense. All of this can lead to poor posture and back pain. Switch to flats to solve the problem.

Guys, you aren’t off the hook in the footwear department. If it’s been a while since you’ve bought a new pair of shoes, take a closer look at your soles. Wear and tear in this area can throw off your gait, leading to posture issues and—you guessed it—back pain. Maybe it’s time for some replacements…

Women with large breasts might find it particularly difficult to maintain proper posture. This is more likely to be true without the support of a proper bra. If this situation is causing you to slouch or experience back or shoulder pain, consider looking into a posture bra. These bras have bands that are designed to carry your chest’s weight, reducing pull on the shoulder straps and allowing you to sit or stand straight and without strain.

Do you carry a heavy bag or purse with you? If you’re constantly carrying a heavy weight on one side of your body, you are also constantly shifting to the side to compensate, which can lead to back pain and even nerve trauma. Take some time to clean out your bag, and try to alternate the side you carry it on to reduce the damage.

Correcting the Damage

Life is full of little things that can lead to poor posture and pain, many of which you might not be aware of. Consulting with a chiropractor can help you gain a better understanding of how your daily life affects the way you sit and stand. If your posture has already been compromised or you are already experiencing back or neck pain, chiropractic care can also help to correct it. With expert guidance and a few changes, little problems can stop being a big deal.

Are Stand-Up Desks Really Any Healthier for Office Workers?

August 4, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Handsome African American male writing at desk with laptop, phone, clipboard. Shot with a Canon 20D.

Standing desks or stand-up desks are not a new fad. They’ve been around since at least the time of Benjamin Franklin, the founding father who used one over two hundred years ago. However, there remains a great deal of controversy regarding the benefits and drawbacks of stand-up desks.

A number of sources agree that standing up while you work gives you more energy and keeps you more alert. The University of Chester performed a study in 2013 that showed heartbeats rose by ten beats per minute because of standing. This increased the number of calories burned each day. In addition, blood glucose levels after lunch returned to normal far faster in those study subjects who stood as they worked.

Others have found that standing helps reduce lower back pain. Users of stand-up desks found that they engaged more fully with their colleagues and felt more ready for action if something called them away from their desk. They felt their minds wandered far less and they stayed more focused. Some users even found that stand-up desks lent themselves to certain “power poses” that benefited physiology, increasing testosterone and decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone.

Stand-up desk users seemed to agree, though, that leg and foot soreness can be a problem. This may be a particular problem for individuals who are just starting to use a stand-up desk user and whose bodies aren’t yet accustomed to the new way of working. More comfortable shoes and an anti-fatigue mat can help reduce this problem. Gradually building up the amount of time spent at a stand-up desk can also help.

If you do opt for a stand-up desk, it’s important to get one at the right height. Because each person is different, getting a custom desk built can be prohibitively expensive. A better alternative is to get an adjustable desk. One with hydraulic power can be lowered for occasional sitting and increased to a custom height to suit your individual needs.

Sitting for long periods each day can lead to all manner of illnesses—heart disease, diabetes, vein disease and more. But standing for long periods can also create health risks, especially vein disease.

A Cornell University ergonomics team found that the real solution was simply to move around regularly. If you’re sitting at a desk, stand up every 20–30 minutes and move around for two minutes. The movement gets the blood pumping, increases calorie burn, and decreases the risks for heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. This doesn’t require vigorous exercise. Simply pacing for a couple of minutes will be enough to undo the damage of sitting for half an hour. This, of course, requires an awareness of the time and a measure of discipline to move when the appointed time arrives. Adding some moderate exercise to your daily routine can do wonders for your health, even without the use of a stand-up desk.

Auto Accident Folklore—Being Thrown Clear and Bracing for Impact

July 14, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

You have no doubt overheard someone at work or at a party telling his friends that he never wears a seat belt—and that he has some really good reasons. The story usually goes something like this: He heard from a buddy he knows that a friend of a friend who was not wearing a seat belt had a bad car accident and walked away from it because he was thrown clear of the car. This is one of the most pervasive car safety myths out there. And if you believe this myth, you could be setting yourself up for serious injury or death.

Although there are a small handful of cases in which someone has survived a car accident after being thrown from the car, this is a very rare occurrence. In fact, you actually have a 25 percent greater chance of being killed if thrown from the car. Just consider the physics of the situation. The force applied to your body when a collision occurs can be strong enough to propel you 150 feet, which is equivalent to about 15 car lengths. And you would not just be flying gracefully through the air either. First, your body may go crashing through the windshield, it may scrape along the rough asphalt for yards, and then you could end up getting crushed by your own car or someone else’s. This is not to mention the other objects you may be hurled into when flung from the car. Statistics from a study performed by researchers at James Madison University show that the proper use of a seat belt reduces serious injuries from traffic accidents by 50 percent and fatalities by 60 to 70 percent. It’s a simple thing that can protect your health and save your life—wear seat belts.

Another common myth is that bracing for impact causes more damage to your body, and that it’s best to remain relaxed. Of course, actually having the ability to choose one way or another about bracing has a lot to do with how much time you have before impact. Many accidents occur in the blink of an eye, so suggesting that someone should “stay relaxed” has really limited practical value. However, the most current science indicates that if you have time, bracing for impact will likely reduce the amount of injury, particularly to tendons and ligaments.

One of the most common types of injury from an auto accident is whiplash, which occurs in about a third of all collisions. If you see a car approaching in your rear view mirror that you believe is going to collide with yours, the best thing to do is to press your body against the seatback, with your head pressed firmly against the head rest. This way you are less likely to suffer injuries to the ligaments in your neck, as your head will not be slammed back against the head rest, then flung forward.

Auto accidents are never pleasant, but by knowing the facts about auto safety you can help reduce your chances of sustaining a serious injury. If you do end up in an accident, it’s always a good idea to get a medical evaluation promptly, even if you think you haven’t suffered any significant injuries. Many auto injuries take time for their symptoms to become apparent or significant enough for victims to recognize how badly they may have been hurt. By the time the symptoms are obvious, the victim and his or her doctor may have lost a valuable opportunity to treat the underlying injuries. Please call or visit the office if you or someone in your family has recently been involved in an auto accident.

Modern Treatment for Back Pain: Beyond Bed Rest, Pain Pills and Surgery

June 16, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

chiro_counseling-whiteboard-200-300 According to the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Michael S. Wilkes of the Western Journal of Medicine, “Despite a plethora of research intended to guide physicians in their management of back pain, physicians still hold strong non-evidence based beliefs dating back to the 19th century.” What beliefs is Dr. Wilkes referring to? He’s talking about the long-held conventional wisdom that says bed rest is one of the best ways to treat back pain.

And it turns out that physicians aren’t the only ones who hold “strong non-evidence based beliefs” about how back pain should be treated. One study, according to the Daily Mail, found that 35% of people thought bed rest is the best way to handle such aches and pains. The study included 1,000 people from 25–65 years of age.

So why are many doctors so quick to prescribe bed rest? And why are so many patients inclined to comply? Simple—pain avoidance. Certainly our minds are part of the feedback loop in any therapy, especially where intense pain is involved. Dr. Michael Vagg, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Deakin University School of Medicine has pointed out that the mind’s expectation of pain “can itself cause protective movements to persist for longer than necessary.” Thus, the tendency to use bed rest as a solution.

The Evidence Against Bed Rest

For most types of back pain, there is powerful evidence that extended bed rest does not help. One study showed that when comparing routine care, bed rest and exercise, bed rest seemed to result in greater intensity of pain, greater disability and more work days lost. Exercise had the most favorable outcome. According to Wilkes, “14 of 18 controlled studies do report that active exercise can improve outcomes.”

Short-term bed rest can be helpful to reduce painful muscle spasms when such spasms are an attempt for the body to limit movement in an injured part of the body. However, bed rest restricts the spine’s motion and, unlike other body parts, spines require motion in order to get nutrients to stay healthy. Restricted movement can result in lost strength and can make it harder for the spine to recover. When the patient is experiencing their most acute back pain, they may need to temporarily change their routine, but the majority of such patients should minimize bed rest and return to their normal routine as soon as possible. Exercise can help produce better results and quicken the healing process.

Part of a Broader Pattern

Unfortunately, the outdated (and ill-advised) bed rest recommendation is part of a broader pattern that some healthcare observers believe they see in the treatment of back pain. Dr. Bruce Landon, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, and a team of researchers have found that many medical doctors ignore expert clinical guidelines when it comes to treating back pain. And the results aren’t limited to inappropriate guidance about bed rest. They include unnecessary medical imaging, needless exposure to addictive painkillers and surgeries that are often risky, expensive and ultimately ineffective.

Interestingly, a study published in the September 2014 edition of the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association found that chiropractors, physical therapists and medical doctors have very different rates of adherence to current evidence-based practice guidelines as they relate to treating nonspecific back pain. Their analysis found that medical doctors follow such guidelines only 52% of the time, compared with 62% for physical therapists and 73% for chiropractic physicians.

Whether you’re suffering from acute or chronic back pain, it’s important to seek out the best evidence-based treatment you can find. Chiropractors are experts in diagnosing and treating health conditions that affect the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, especially those that involve the back and the neck. Chiropractic treatment has been shown in studies to be both safe and effective. Plus, chiropractic patients have consistently reported high levels of satisfaction with the results as well as the experience.

If you or someone you care about is suffering from back pain, there’s help available. Remember—you have options! We encourage you to call or visit our office today!

Modern Treatment for Back Pain: Beyond Bed Rest, Pain Pills and Surgery

June 9, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

The Evidence Against Bed Rest

Part of a Broader Pattern

If you or someone you care about is suffering from back pain, there’s help available. Remember—you have options! We encourage you to call or visit our office today!

What You Should Know About Recovering from Auto Injuries

May 10, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

ambulance-200-300 America’s roads have become far safer across the past three decades. By just about any measure, travelers are much less likely to be injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident than they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And this is true even though we’re driving more miles each year!

However, automobile accidents are still notoriously hard on the musculoskeletal system, and there is still a very real risk of back and neck injuries—even when drivers and passengers are protected by the latest safety equipment. In fact, recent research suggests that some types of injuries—particularly to the thoracic and lumbar regions of the back—may actually be more likely when safety belts are used. There is also some evidence that airbags may contribute to more severe neck injuries when they deploy.

At the same time, other developments are also changing the nature of auto injuries. For instance:

Smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles are good for the environment, but they pose additional risks to their passengers when they collide with larger cars, SUVs and trucks.
Lifestyle and demographic trends are resulting in greater numbers of overweight and obese people on the roads as well as larger numbers of seniors, who tend to have frames that are smaller and more fragile.

So even though the overall fatality rate and the rate of serious injuries should continue to fall as safety systems continue to improve, minor to moderate injuries from auto accidents will continue to be a fact of life for the foreseeable future.

What You Need to Know

Even in cases where drivers and passengers walk away from a wreck believing they’re “uninjured”, accidents can have profound, long-lasting health consequences for those involved. It’s not uncommon for some types of symptoms to appear only gradually days or weeks after the event itself, delaying effective diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms may also come and go intermittently, making it more difficult to associate them with the accident.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to safeguard your health and improve your chances of a more rapid, complete recovery following an auto accident. Clinical studies have demonstrated that chiropractic care can shorten recovery time and decrease the amount of permanent physical damage sustained in a collision.

Take care of first things first. Always address any life-threatening injuries first. If you experience (or have reason to suspect) significant bleeding or bruising, broken bones, internal pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or shock, you should seek immediate help from healthcare professionals who specialize in treating trauma injuries.
Visit your chiropractor as soon as possible after an accident. Do this even if you don’t think you’ve been hurt very badly. Research has shown that early intervention in the form of chiropractic adjustment, massage, laser therapy and supervised exercise and stretching programs can make a big difference in longer-term function.
Stay as active as you can throughout your recovery. Activity encourages blood flow to the injured area and promotes healing. It also helps prevent or reduce scar tissue formation and maintain range of motion.
Strengthen the affected area(s) as directed. Exercise and stretching programs are designed to help prevent future injuries and are an important part of a balanced treatment plan.
Recognize that you may be at increased risk of developing chronic problems. Be sure to tell your doctor if any of the following warning signs apply:
A prior history of back, neck or shoulder problems (including previous injury).
Distinct numbness, tingling or pain immediately following an accident.
Increased muscle tension or reduced range of motion after the crash.
You were involved in a rear-end collision.
Your head was turned at the moment of impact.
You have symptoms that don’t resolve or that become generalized.
Do your best to avoid becoming frustrated with the pace of recovery. Setbacks are common and it is not unusual for some symptoms to come and go.

An auto accident can affect your health (and your lifestyle) for years if you don’t receive the proper treatment. So if you or someone you care about has been injured in a collision, please call our office and make an appointment today. Chiropractic care can help put your recovery in high gear!

What is a “Normal” Pain Tolerance?

April 26, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Pain is a nearly universal human experience that has several aspects. The first thing we usually think about in relation to pain is its trigger or cause. Perhaps you stub your toe, cut your finger while chopping vegetables, or feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. When this kind of thing happens, your body initiates a physical process driven by your anatomy and physiology. Your senses transmit a message through your nerves to your brain, saying “Something is wrong.” The second aspect of pain, however, is psychological and emotional rather than physical—how do you react to the message that your body is experiencing trouble? Do you ignore the headache and continue with your activities, or do you have to stop what you’re doing and focus on the pain to try to make it go away?

When it comes to our response to pain, two factors are also in operation. These relate to the idea of sensitivity. Pain threshold is the point at which pain first begins to be felt, and pain tolerance is the point at which a person reaches the maximum level of pain they are able to tolerate. When attempting to define what “normal” responses to pain are, both factors must be examined.

“Normal” responses to pain are difficult to determine because they vary so widely.

Some people may react to a bad headache by ignoring it and continuing to work, while others may react to a headache they rate at the same subjective level of pain by becoming completely incapacitated and having to lay down and close their eyes until it goes away. So what factors determine these differences in people’s tolerance of pain, and what can we say about them?

First, there seem to be differences in pain tolerance between men and women, with men exhibiting slightly higher pain tolerance than women. But this generalization can be affected by the oddest things. For example:

Studies of dental patients suggest that redheads have lower pain tolerances than people with other hair colors, and actually need higher doses of anesthesia during oral surgery.
Athletes have been proven to have higher pain tolerances than people who don’t exercise.
People who smoke or are obese are more likely to have low pain tolerances.
People who are depressed or anxious are more sensitive to pain and have lower tolerances.

There are also biological factors such as genetics, previous spinal cord damage, and chronic diseases that cause nerve damage that affect how we perceive, interpret, and manage pain. So the problem of defining what constitutes a “normal” level of pain tolerance becomes very difficult. But we recognize intuitively that we’re beginning to approach our own pain tolerance when two things happen—first, the pain begins to interfere with our ability to function in some way and second, it causes us to seek help.

As healthcare professionals, we generally distinguish between acute pain—the pain that usually results from a specific injury or illness, lasts less than 6 months and goes away as the body heals—and chronic pain, which can persist or progress over longer periods of time and may have no clear cause.

Depending on the situation, help may come in the form of common over-the-counter analgesics like aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, or from more powerful drugs like opioids. Sometimes it may come in the form of ice, heat or topical treatments. And other times it may come in the form of hands-on therapies like chiropractic and massage.

Whatever your level of pain tolerance happens to be, you can get better at handling pain.

Because of the many factors that can potentially affect pain tolerance, managing one’s pain can be a challenging process of trial and error. You can’t change your genetic pain receptors and how sensitive they are, and dying your hair another color if you’re a redhead isn’t going to make you less susceptible to pain. But there are coping mechanisms that can influence the brain’s perception of pain and help you manage it, effectively increasing your pain tolerance. Relaxation techniques, biofeedback, chiropractic manipulation, massage, and mindfulness meditation have all shown surprising success at enabling people who suffer from chronic pain to manage it more effectively without the ongoing use of drugs.

So if you are one of the 25% to 30% of adults living with musculoskeletal pain, contact our office and ask for help—it IS available, and doesn’t necessarily have to come in a pill bottle!

Chiropractic Care Gets High Marks from Back Pain Patients

April 14, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Lower back pain is a very common problem across the US. In fact, experts estimate that as much as 84% of the population will experience it over the course of a lifetime! For about 23%, this pain will be chronic and for 11%-12% it will be debilitating.

While these are sobering statistics, there is also some good news. Depending on your condition, chiropractic care can be an effective treatment option—helping to relieve pain and restore mobility.

Patient Satisfaction by the Numbers

In addition to the many clinical studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic care, a number of well-known public health and consumer research organizations have also conducted surveys and polls in order to better understand the experience of patients when it comes to treating back pain. In April and May 2009, the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center surveyed the magazine’s subscribers. In particular, the Center was interested in learning about back pain patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare providers and with the different treatment options they provided.

Of patients who had visited a chiropractor, 59% were highly satisfied* with the treatment and advice they received. By comparison, fewer than half were highly satisfied with the treatment and advice provided by their medical specialist (44%) or primary care physician (34%).
Of patients who had received chiropractic manipulation, 58% reported that the treatment helped a lot. Only 45% reported that prescription drugs helped a lot and just 22% said the same thing about over-the-counter medications.

What’s especially interesting about these survey results are the number of people who participated and their backgrounds.

The Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center surveyed more than 14,000 participants who had suffered from lower-back pain in the prior year but had never had back surgery.
More than half reported that pain severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer. Many reported that pain interfered with sleep, sex and efforts to maintain a healthy weight.
88% reported that the pain recurred through the year.
Most had tried five or six different treatments.

Two years later, the Center published an updated report describing how Americans use alternative approaches to healthcare as well as their experience with various providers and therapies. Chiropractic care once again was found to be the most popular approach to back pain relief and was ranked most highly in terms of patient satisfaction.

Your chiropractor is specially trained to relieve back pain and restore mobility by using drug-free, hands-on techniques called manipulation, adjustments or mobilization. He or she may also employ other types of therapy, such as massage and cold laser treatment, depending on the nature and cause of your back pain. In addition, many chiropractic physicians work closely with their patients to develop new, healthier habits—usually around exercise, nutrition and sleep—that can help prevent some types of injuries and chronic medical conditions. By focusing on both immediate pain relief and the underlying causes of back pain, your chiropractor can help you return to your active lifestyle as soon as possible!

Remember—every patient’s body is different. If you’re wondering whether chiropractic care is an appropriate choice for you, please call or visit our office today! We’ll be happy to help!

*Defined as either Completely Satisfied or Very Satisfied.

Focus on Footwear: The Trouble with Flip-Flops

April 5, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Ask just about any chiropractor which type of footwear is the worst for your feet and back, and you’ll likely hear about two culprits: high heels and flip-flops. While high heels spell trouble for women, flip-flops are worn by men, women, teenagers, and children, making them a more ubiquitous health hazard than any other commonly worn type of footwear. So what exactly is the trouble with flip-flops? Why do chiropractors advise so strongly against wearing them? In a nutshell, flip-flops not only lack a protective shell or any sort of support, but they force wearers to walk unnaturally, causing numerous foot, leg, and back problems.

Shoes are designed to perform two basic functions. One function is to offer shock absorption; the other is to provide a solid, stable surface that your foot can push off from. Flip-flops, however, provide neither shock absorption nor stability. They are essentially just covers for the bottoms of your feet.

Flip-flop manufacturers have tried to address the issues of shock absorption and stability, with minimal success. A few of the more pricey brands offer some arch support, and some have more cushioning—but no flip-flops can compare to sneakers in terms of support and shock absorption. If your footwear cannot perform its two basic functions, you could find yourself in pain, not only in your foot but up your entire leg and into the knee, hip, and back.

Without a suitable arch or appropriate shock absorption, you are forced to walk differently, which can negatively affect the ligaments, bones, and muscles in the foot by making them work harder than they are used to. Overuse can even result in stress fractures in the bones of the feet.

Flip-flop wearers must walk abnormally in order to keep their flip-flops on. A study conducted by Auburn University found that the average flip-flop wearer takes shorter steps than those who wear other footwear. The study also found that flip-flop wearers hit their heels to the ground with less vertical force, which throws off a person’s natural gait and can cause pain and other issues in the feet, ankle, legs, hips, and back.

All flip-flops come with a small strip of material that the toes must grip in order to keep the footwear in place. This repetitive gripping causes muscle overuse and can result in tendonitis, a painful condition wherein tendons become inflamed. Regular use of flip-flops can also cause or exacerbate bunions and hammer toe. Other flip-flop related maladies include plantar fasciitis, splinters, blisters, and burns due to flip-flops’ lack of protection.

Lastly, flip-flops are a breeding ground for bacteria—sometimes dangerous types. In fact, a 2009 study from the University of Miami found that even just one pair of flip-flops can contain over 18,000 bacteria, including Staphylococcus and bacteria from fecal matter.

If you feel you must wear flip-flops, consider asking your chiropractor for recommendations on which brands to look at. Additionally, you should wear them sporadically and avoid wearing them on any days on which you will be doing a lot of walking. There are other sandals that are better for your feet, so consider them as an alternative to flip-flops.

Think Twice about Back Surgery

March 3, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

seductive blond and wall — woman-against-concrete-wall

Back pain is incredibly common—in fact, just about every adult in the United States has experienced back pain in some form or another, and it is one of the top complaints heard in doctors’ offices and hospitals around the country. Yet the cause of any one type of back pain is one of the most difficult things to diagnose. There are many treatments for back pain, such as chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, surgery, saline injections, and steroid injections, all with varying degrees of risk. According to experts, you should treat back pain conservatively—that is, you should opt for the least risky, minimally invasive treatment option first before considering treatments such as spinal surgery.

Of course, there is risk with any surgery, but failed back surgeries can be calamitous—so much so that there is a condition called “failed back surgery syndrome,” also commonly referred to as failed back syndrome. According to the University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, “Failed back syndrome is a general term that refers to chronic severe pain experienced after unsuccessful surgery for back pain. Surgery for back pain is conducted when there is an identifiable source of pain—usually to decompress a pinched nerve root or to stabilize a painful joint. However, back pain can have a number of causes and accurate identification of a source of pain is complicated; often symptoms do not correlate well with x-rays or magnetic resonance imaging scans. As a result, diagnosis and patient selection for surgery are essential.”

Failed back syndrome has a large array of causes. For example, the original source of the pain can return or complications may arise during surgery. The nerve root triggering the pain may be ineffectively decompressed, joints or nerves may become irritated during the surgical procedure, or scar tissue may compress or bind nerve roots. Additionally, nerve damage sustained during the surgery can add to already existing pain. In some cases, nerves may rejuvenate to a degree, but even this can result in pain if the regeneration is abnormal.

Numerous factors can add to the onset or advancement of failed back syndrome. Contributing causes include residual or recurrent disc herniation, persistent post-operative pressure on a spinal nerve, altered joint mobility, joint hypermobility with instability, scar tissue (fibrosis), depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, and spinal muscular deconditioning. Insufficient or unfinished rehabilitation and physical therapy, particularly in patients whose back muscles are out of shape, can cause chronic pain as well. A patient can also be susceptible to the advancement of failed back syndrome due to systemic conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune disease, and peripheral blood vessels (vascular) disease.

There are other risks of surgery as well—contamination can occur when a surgeon’s gloves have bacteria present on them, passing them to the patient and causing infections that range from mild to very severe.

As an alternative to surgery, there are steroid injections for back pain—but they aren’t always successful. Lumbar epidural steroid injections, as they are called, can help relieve pain, but they carry with them their own hazards. As Spine-Health.com puts it, “In addition to risks from the injection, there are also potential side effects from the steroid medication itself. These tend to be rare and much less prevalent than the side effects from oral steroids. Nonetheless, reported side effects from epidural steroid injections include: Localized increase in pain, non-positional headaches resolving within 24 hours, facial flushing, anxiety, sleeplessness, fever the night of injection, high blood sugar, a transient decrease in immunity because of the suppressive effect of the steroid, stomach ulcers, severe arthritis of the hips, and cataracts.”

To reduce the risk of these side effects of invasive back pain treatments, it is wise to pursue conservative therapies first. When looking at back pain treatment options, always be sure to get a second—and maybe even a third—opinion on how your back pain should be handled. If you’re looking for a drug-free, non-invasive alternative, consider chiropractic care. In addition to treating your back pain directly, your chiropractor can also act as your back-pain quarterback to coordinate care across multiple treatment methods.

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Category: Back Pain

When it Comes to Posture, the Little Things Matter. Like Sitting on Your Wallet…

August 11, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Are Stand-Up Desks Really Any Healthier for Office Workers?

August 4, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Auto Accident Folklore—Being Thrown Clear and Bracing for Impact

July 14, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Modern Treatment for Back Pain: Beyond Bed Rest, Pain Pills and Surgery

June 16, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Modern Treatment for Back Pain: Beyond Bed Rest, Pain Pills and Surgery

June 9, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

What You Should Know About Recovering from Auto Injuries

May 10, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

What is a “Normal” Pain Tolerance?

April 26, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Chiropractic Care Gets High Marks from Back Pain Patients

April 14, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Focus on Footwear: The Trouble with Flip-Flops

April 5, 2016 oblanderchiropractic

Think Twice about Back Surgery

March 3, 2016 oblanderchiropractic