The Secret To Eliminating Severe Back Pain Revealed

Back pain is a serious, debilitating problem that is on the rise. Recently a study out of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, revealed that over a period of 14 years, there was an increase in those reporting chronic back pain. During those 14 years they revealed an increase in back pain from 3.9% to 10.2% of the population. Consider wages lost as a result of work missed, the costs to companies for decreased work performance, the rise in the cost of healthcare insurance, along with the debilitating pain that an individual will suffer, and you can see that severe back pain is a serious problem.

The question then becomes, “What do you do?” The answer to that question is not as simple as you may think. The problem with back pain is that very few healthcare providers will properly diagnose the cause of the pain and therefore you are left with treating symptoms without getting the cause resolved. This often leads to you having more serious back problems down the road.

A common scenario is for an individual to seek back pain relief from a family physician. Often, muscle relaxers, pain pills and, or anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Unless some type of accident is reported, x-rays are not normally taken. The patient is told to come back in a week or two if the pain persists. At no point is the cause of the pain identified.

Some people choose to go to a massage therapist, physical therapist, or chiropractor for their back pain. Regardless of the cause, the massage therapist, and for the most part, the physical therapist are traditionally trained to work on muscles. The chiropractor is traditionally trained to manipulate or adjust the spine, regardless of the cause of the pain. What happens if you have a spinal problem and you go to the massage therapist? What if you have a muscle strain and you go to the chiropractor? My point is that you need to know the cause of your back pain to determine what care is best suited for you.

The first place to start when it comes to severe back pain is to determine the cause. Yes, you want to decrease your pain ASAP, but you also need to understand the cause. An explanation of what is required to correct the cause of the pain and an understanding of all of your options is important. Unfortunately, it appears that many healthcare providers are quick to treat you with their specialty (massage, physical therapy, drugs, adjustments), as opposed to recommending and providing the best care possible to correct the cause of your back pain.

Most healthcare providers are not trained to identify the many different causes of back pain. The typical family physician will refer out to an orthopedic surgeon, who will initially send the patient out for physical therapy, often without conducting an MRI or truly understanding the cause of the problem. I have always wondered why an individual would be sent for therapy, without a true understanding of what the therapy is for.

It wasn’t until 12 years after graduating from chiropractic school, that I decided to receive the necessary training to identify the many different causes of back pain and the most efficient means to offer correction of the problem. To determine whether your back pain is a result of a muscle strain, a joint problem or sprain, a disc herniation or any of the other many causes, is absolutely necessary.

Keep in mind that determining the cause is only half the battle. The ability to offer the most efficient, corrective form of care is the other half of the solution. As stated earlier, massage therapists and physical therapists primarily work on muscles. Surgeons will often try to repair herniated discs and spinal stenosis. Chiropractors traditionally will work on joints. Find a doctor who is capable of offering care for strained muscles, sprained joints, and non surgical care for herniated discs and spinal stenosis. This will allow you the greatest opportunity to overcome your severe back pain in the shortest amount of time. This is the secret to eliminating severe back pain.

Dr. Roy Picard is a chiropractor in Shelby Township, Michigan. What he offers is above and beyond traditional chiropractic care. He has received postgraduate training in chiropractic neurology, applied kinesiology, nutrition, flexion/distraction techniques for herniated discs and spinal stenosis, and functional endocrinology. He is board eligible in chiropractic neurology. For further information he can be reached at (586) 726 9860. His website address is http://www.DrRoyPicard.com