Lower back pain is this country’s most common physical complaint. One out of three of us suffer from some sort of back pain every year. Low back conditions result in millions of dollars of lost work and often becomes a chronic pain condition if not dealt with. But pain is not a diagnosis and proper evaluation to determine the cause of back pain is needed to receive the right treatment. Common causes for lower back injuries and conditions include trauma, lifting, improper and prolonged sitting, over-exertion, inherited spinal abnormalities, and more.

Worry, anxiety, tension. Does that ring a bell in your life? If I can just get rid of my stress! But can you? What causes you stress? Jobs? Bosses? Paying bills? Relationships? Family and kids? To live is to experience stress.

The problem is the emotions from stress often manifest physically. Stress finds the “weak link” in your body which may come out in the form of headaches, tension and pains in the neck and back, stomach upset, insomnia, elevated blood pressure and much more. Chiropractic treatment can help your body handle the physical side of stress when you can’t simply remove the things that are causing you stress.

Because headaches are so common, some people believe that having a headache is just a normal part of life. Headaches are a sign that something is wrong! Although there are numerous types and causes for headaches, by far the most common headache is “cervicogenic,” meaning caused by the neck.

When spinal bones of the neck and upper back lose their normal position or motion, sensitive joint surfaces as well as nerves and blood vessels to the head can be irritated. Connective tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments can also refer pain sensation into the head. Trauma, prolonged sitting, sleeping in poor positions, stress, and toxins are but a few causes of cervicogenic headaches.

Injuries to the neck caused by sudden, violent movement of the head in any direction is referred to as “whiplash.” The most common cause of whiplash ia an automobile accident. When the head is suddenly jerked back and forth forcing the neck to move beyond its normal limits, vertebrae are often forced out of their normal position resulting in misalignment, overstretching and/or tearing of muscles and ligaments, nerve roots and possible spinal cord damage.

While the occupants may suffer significant injury, the car may be only slightly damaged. A variety of symptoms may develop including neck pian and loss of motion, headache, shoulder and arm pain and numbness, TMJ or jaw pain, dizziness and vertigo, pain in the lower and mid back. Symptoms can even be delayed for days simply due to the large amount of adrenallin produced by the body from this stressful event.

When spinal bones lose their normal motion or position, the soft, pulpy, highly pressurized center of the disc can bulge or rupture. A bulging disc can put pressure on the nearby nerve roots that exit the spine or even the spinal cord itself. The most common symptoms include numbness, tingling or pain running down into the leg if the injured disc is in the lower back or into the arm or hand if from the neck.

Since discs have poor blood and nerve supply they may or may not produce much pain and are slow to heal. Most common causes are repetetive trauma from over-exertion and lifting or acute trauma. A disc bulge can take years to develop then suddenly the symptoms appear.

Sciatica is all too often a misunderstood condition. Sciatica is a severe pain in the leg caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. Although the pain is felt in the leg and sometimes as far down as the foot, the problem almost always is produced in the lower lumbar spine. The main sciatic nerve root exits the spine between the lowest lumbar vertebra (L5) and the sacrum, traveling down the leg ending at the big toe.

Symptoms can be pain, numbness and tingling, and significant leg and foot weakness. The symptoms may manifest anywhere from the buttock region to the entire leg and foot. Causes include vertebral malposition, inflammation around the nerve root, degenerative joint disease (arthritis) and disc bulges.

Many spinal problems seen in adults begin in childhood. The birth process itself may be one of the most traumatic events of our lives. Birthing methods can stress a neonatal spine irritaing the nervous system.

Early complaints such as colic, poor appetite, unexplained crying may be from nervous system dysfunction due to malfunction of the spine. They can’t tell you why! Follow that with starting to lift that heavy head, crawling, taking those first steps and falling constantly, sports and other activities as they mature – kids are rough on themselves!

Chiropractic adjustment techniques are modified to fit a child’s size, weight and spinal problems. Parents commonly report that their children seem healthier than other kids their age.

Other conditions commonly seen that respond to chiropractic health care include degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fascitis, fibromyalgia, TMJ, scoliosis, and many sports related injuries.

Call us @ 323.240.8031 for a consultation.