Back pain is an incredibly widespread issue in our society. In fact, a commonly cited statistic indicates that nearly 80% of all people will suffer from back pain at some point in their lifetimes.
What factors have led to the point where only a small sliver of our population can avoid suffering from crippling back pain? Is there anything that can be done to overcome this crippling ailment?
In this article, we will review 3 of the most common causes of back pain and demonstrate how chiropractic care is the perfect solution to this devastating condition.
Back Pain Cause #1: Obesity
Undoubtedly, our improved technology and efforts geared toward combating hunger around the world have led to wonderful outcomes. Food scarcity is much less of an issue than it used to be, and most people around the world are able to access enough food each day in order to be healthy.
However, in the past few decades, we’ve encountered a new problem related to our diets: obesity.
In America, over 42% of the population is considered obese. Similar trends have begun to arise in other countries around the world as well.
Obesity causes numerous health problems, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on how it can lead to back pain.
As more weight is added to the body, the muscles and joints have to work harder to hold us upright. Therefore, when we move around with a lot of excess weight pushing down on us, our joints start to wear out more quickly than they would if we were at our ideal body weight. In the spine, this is a particularly troubling problem. Our spines can only support so much weight, and if we stress these structures too much, we can begin to develop back pain.
Back Pain Cause #2: Poor Posture
If you consider the typical worker in this day and age, you probably imagine a person sitting at her desk, typing on a computer. When people have to maintain this seated posture for many hours a day, for years on end, it can lead to postural issues. This is because some muscles start to become chronically tight in this seated, hunched position, while others become chronically “loose” or lax. Without proper flexibility and stability, it’s very hard to maintain good posture.
A desk worker who slouches and develops rounded shoulders puts her spine at severe risk of injury. Without intervention, maintaining poor spinal alignment can cause significant back pain and resultant dysfunction.
Back Pain Cause #3: Traumatic Injury
In many back pain cases, the patient may have been involved in an accident or suffered some sort of traumatic injury. This often includes events such as car accidents or falls that significantly jar the spine.
In these cases, the body needs time to heal. However, taking time to heal doesn’t necessarily mean that the person has to lie in a bed and not move for many months. Rather, a person can complete properly structured exercises that are appropriate for the stage of healing they are in at the time.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Back Pain Sufferers?
While the above three causes of back pain are very common and may seem difficult to overcome, chiropractors are up to the task!
Through the use of appropriate diagnostic and treatment techniques, chiropractors can help patients lose weight, improve their posture, and recover from injury.
Still not convinced that chiropractic care is right for you? Set up an appointment with the team at Keystone Chiropractic, the best chiropractors in Plano, TX, today. They would be happy to help you reduce your back pain and get back to living your life.
