Back Pain Relief Made Simple for Everyday
By Dr. Tiffany T. Butler, D.C. | January 7, 2023 | Read Time: 7 minutes
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”
More than 70 million adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic back pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for more than 3 months. There are health conditions that cause chronic pain such as arthritis, cancer, or back pain. When traditional medical treatment does not alleviate back pain symptoms, people will often seek out other solutions for pain relief.
Chronic back pain impacts every aspect of an individual’s life. Chronic back pain can affect your ability to perform normal activities such as sitting, walking, standing, lifting, cooking, cleaning, and personal grooming. It can affect your ability to perform work duties which can lead to poor job performance. Chronic back pain can also affect your relationships with others by negatively impacting your ability to socialize, as well as your mental health. Research shows that people who suffer from chronic pain are more likely to experience loneliness, hopelessness, anxiety, and depression.
People who suffer from chronic back pain will often choose chiropractic care as an alternative treatment option. Why do people choose chiropractic care for back pain relief? Chiropractors are neuromusculoskeletal specialists. Chiropractors study the relationships between the nervous, muscle, and skeletal systems – and how this relationship impacts health and body function. Although most back injuries resolve within a week, there are people who continue to experience back pain long after the initial injury occurs. If not treated properly, an acute back injury may lead to chronic back pain over time.
Although there are no all-in-one solutions to treating chronic back pain; there is hope in finding manageable ways to get pain relief and comfort. Most people tend to use painkillers and/or NSAIDs (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs) for back pain relief. We live in a society where the promotion and advertisement of medication usage are perceived as the only solution for pain relief. We have been conditioned to seek drugs for every little ache and pain we experience in life, rather than conducting our own research to determine what is the best choice for us. For example, if you have a toothache, you will not go to the medical doctor, you will seek the care of a dentist. Why? The dentist specializes in the diagnoses, treatment, prevention, and management of health conditions that affect the teeth, gums, and mouth. The mouth, including the teeth and gums, are the dentist’s area of expertise. So, why not seek a chiropractor for back pain relief?
Chiropractors, like dentists, are specialists. Chiropractors specialize in the diagnoses, treatment, prevention, and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Chiropractors are experts in the back (including neck) pain relief. This is not to discredit the effects of modern medicine practices; moreover, it is to bring awareness and light to how chiropractors can help those who are suffering from neck and back pain. Chiropractic care is not the end-all solution to back pain relief, and neither is traditional medicine. The goal should be to help restore, improve, and/or maintain a person’s functional health. Therefore, at times a collaborative effort between healthcare professionals is necessary to achieve this goal.
3 SIMPLE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE COMFORT
#1: Get a Second Opinion
Back pain can be a complex condition to treat because many things can cause back pain. Depending on what is causing back pain, whether it is the damage to soft tissue structures (such as a muscle strain or ligament sprain), or damage to the hard tissue structures (such as degenerative arthritis), getting the opinion of another healthcare provider can be helpful to discover what treatment options that are available to you.
#2: Research Alternative Treatment Options
Do not get stuck doing the same thing repeatedly. This is where suffering begins. Doing the same thing repeatedly, without any change. There are times when the treatment does not work. Everyone is unique and different. Just because a particular treatment method works for one person does not necessarily mean it will work for you. Therefore, a second opinion is worth getting. Be willing to do something else. Get evaluated by other healthcare professionals. Research your options. Do not settle. You must be proactive in getting better healthcare treatment. No one else will do the work for you, it’s up to you to do it. If whatever you are currently doing is not giving you the results you want, try something else. Remember, sometimes working with different healthcare professionals may give you the best outcome because each one will bring a different approach to treating the problem.
#3: Become More Active
Pain will stop you from moving if you allow it to. I know what you are thinking: “It hurts to move. It feels better when I do nothing.” The reality is if you do not move, the pain becomes worse. You know the saying, “If you don’t use it, you will lose it.” The human body is dynamic, it is not designed to be static. Just imagine if your blood stopped flowing, what would happen to you? Imagine if your heart stopped beating. Now, imagine if you stopped moving your body – you will become at risk for developing other health issues such as blood clots; weaker bones; weaker muscles; weaker immune system; and more. Becoming more active can be as simple as walking or performing light stretches. As you move your body, you get things moving and there is an increase in blood circulation. Healing is in the blood. The blood contains all the vital nutrients, oxygen, and other properties that are necessary for healing. So, get up and move!
Dr. Tiffany T. Butler (aka “The Pain Doctor”) is a chiropractor, author, and entrepreneur. She leads Harmonious Living Chiropractic: Fitness & Wellness Center, a pain management practice, in offering healthcare solutions that focus on patient-centered care. Her team consists of individuals who are passionate about improving patient outcomes by providing chiropractic care, in conjunction with therapeutic procedures. Their services have helped hundreds of people find pain relief and improved their quality of life. To learn more about Dr. Butler visit https://www.drtiffanybutler.com/dr-butler/ Connect with Dr. Butler on social media #drtiffanybutler
