Why so many people have lower back pain?
“I just bent over, and my back went out.” I hear this every day in my office. 84% of the adults in the United States have lower back pain sometime in their life. The cost of lower back pain in the United States is $635 billion (about $2,000 per person in the US) a year.
How can so many people have lower back pain and spend so much money without knowing the cause?
The answer is to decide whether lower back pain is a disease or a problem of function. There are several diseases that cause lower back pain such as fractures, abdominal aortic aneurysms, certain types of cancers, spinal stenosis, and disc herniations. Function of the spine is by far the most common cause of lower back pain. Spinal function refers to how effectively the spine can move to perform an activity with ease and without pain. The daily activities over a period of time can result in overuse and misuse injuries, which cause micro-traumas that eventually breakdown the proper function of the spine. This causes spinal joint restrictions, imbalance, and loss of coordination of muscles and spasms of the back. When these conditions are not treated appropriately, they become chronic.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, symptoms come and go. Only when a severe episode occurs is when people seek proper care. In my experience the main driving force to seek care is pain and fear. Delayed treatment for lower back pain causes changes to occur in the function of the spinal joints and holding elements such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles, resulting in a breakdown of spinal function. These changes can lead to disc herniations and some forms of spinal stenosis, and of course pain and the inability to move freely.
Chiropractors can diagnose your condition using the same tests as medical doctors or orthopedists. In addition, we are specially trained to evaluate the function of the spine, which is the root cause of pain, ruling out disease. Chiropractic manipulative therapy is a method of moving a restricted or stiff joint, improving spinal joint function, and relaxing muscles and eliminating pain.
The opioid epidemic has caused people to think differently about pharmaceutical treatment of neuromusculoskeletal problems. The use of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, and pain medication may be useful short-term but does not address the function. If function is not addressed, lower back pain causes arthritis, disc herniations and spinal stenosis. These conditions result in a lifetime of pain, disability, and aggressive treatment.
“Many people with back pain also visit chiropractors. Although people with back pain are more likely to go to a physician than to a chiropractor for relief, back pain patients who see chiropractors report that they are more satisfied with their care than those who seek medical doctors. Patients who see chiropractors are more likely to say that their provider explained their treatment and provided advice on self-care.”
Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.
