Back pain is now the leading cause of disability worldwide! Chiropractic care is a safe and effective form of treatment for this global epidemic. We need to be raising awareness for people suffering from back pain to realise there is help at hand. How a person feels about their pain majorly influences what type of treatment they seek. Other factors involved in the decision making process include how their close friends and family undertake seeking healthcare, whether or not they already lead a healthy life, and the costs involved in primary healthcare.
There is a need for Health Practitioners to recognise the increasing concerns for back pain and evaluate how best to manage each case. People need to know that long term back pain is the main reason for early retirement, costing injured workers 4 years of employment and $200,000 in savings. Researchers have condemned the old medical model of back pain being a disease that needs medicating or operations. Back pain sufferers need support and understanding as they manage their condition with exercise, spinal manipulation, and education to become much more involved in self-management. Back pain that lasts longer than 3 months becomes a “brain habit” and our body feels more pain for the same problem…
This can lead to:
- Pain avoidance behaviour
- Loss of usual joyful activities
- Withdrawal from family and social activities
- Loss of respect and position in the family or workplace
- Greater use of medication, in larger doses, as people seek relief
- Use of alcohol or cigarettes for relief
- Muscle and body deconditioning as the body stops exercise and activity
- Depression and psychological problems
So, whilst a lot of back pain can settle on its own, pain that persists beyond a few weeks needs to be taken very seriously. Unfortunately, many people have back pain and we therefore tend to “normalise” the problem. By the time a person realises that their back pain is not going away, it may have already started to become a worrying longer term issue. Chiropractic tests and movement analysis look for the physical causes of your real physical problem.
A short trial of Chiropractic Care can often give fast relief and then advice on lifestyle changes plus home exercise and stretches come into play so you can self-manage, rather than hope somebody else is going to fix you.
If you’re already experiencing the effects of poor desk posture, sitting too much throughout the day, “numb bum” at the movies, or even an ache every time you go for a deadlift…think of your Chiro! Australian Chiropractors are highly qualified health care professionals who study at university for a minimum of five years. They are also Government registered and regulated. CHIROPRACTIC IS A NON-INVASIVE, DRUG FREE APPROACH TO SPINAL HEALTH!
Start the discussion, seek out care, ask a mate…there is no need to suffer through back pain anymore! Most episodes of back pain are short-lasting with little or no consequence, but recurrent episodes are common and back pain is increasingly understood as a long-lasting condition. There is good news though! The systems are changing; back pain is becoming integrated with Public Health Initiatives to provide credible advice and care plans. Chiropractic, being one of those initiatives, can effectively help to manage Back Pain and support an earlier return to work. Ask your Chiro today about your spinal health!
“If you are not being given exercise and stretches for your problem, find another practitioner” – Dr Andrew Vincent.
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