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Back Pain – Understanding Spinal Manipulation Techniques
The time comes when every home remedy you’ve experimented with simply doesn’t get rid of that nagging back pain, and you’re left with no choice but to get a professional opinion.
Lucky for you, chiropractors are well-versed experts who have been trained in the art of remedying back problems and it certainly pays to get to know some of the spinal manipulation techniques that are employed.
Spinal Manipulation Vs Spinal Mobilization
Remedial techniques essentially zero in on a common objective – restoring or improving joint function by significantly reducing joint inflammation as well as general discomfort due to back pain. Certain approaches make use of more force, such as spinal manipulation, while others are comparatively more gentle – spinal mobilization.
What originally came to be known as spinal manipulation is referred to by many chiropractors as “high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust (HVLA). Newer spinal adjustment approaches entail a variation of existing techniques and often borrow their names from the chiropractor responsible for developing them.
Specific treatment plans are adapted to meet individual needs of every patient. In order to curb back pain, forceful and less forceful spinal adjustment techniques are administered either in a single visit or multiple ones.
Let’s take a closer look at spinal manipulation and mobilization techniques commonly practiced today.
Spinal Manipulation – HVLA
The HVLA thrust is the most frequently used technique in spinal manipulation today. Your practitioner uses his/her hands to apply a controlled force that is quick and focused, resulting in an audible “pop”. You will be asked to position your body a certain way so as to target a specific joint.
Spinal Mobilization – Low-force / Gentle Chiropractic Techniques
Certain pre-existing conditions like osteoporosis and patient-specific factors – comfort level, size, pathology, preference – warrant a gentler approach. Also, some patients and even clinics simply prefer going with mild spinal mobilization techniques that leave twisting the body or a forceful thrust, out of the equation.
Apart from manipulation, a lot of chiropractors make use of adjunctive therapy like ice or heat. Other physical modalities include electric stimulation and ultrasound that form part of the overall program. As a patient, you need to discuss your symptoms and preferences beforehand, so that a thorough examination can be conducted to determine an ideal course of action.
Chiropractors are among the most well-trained, learned and experienced health care practitioners who serve as a homing beacon for those suffering from continuous back pain and other more serious conditions.
Image used under Creative Commons Licensing: chiropractic technique by Michael Dorausch
Chiropractors – Helping Alleviate Back Pain, One Treatment at a Time
Back pain is a problem that affects 15-20% of all Americans every year. From the general rigors of every day work to the excess weight many carry around on their body, back pain gets to us all. However, there is an easy and non-invasive way to that very pain. Chiropractors have worked for over a hundred years, perfecting their art and liberate people from their back pain.
Causes of Back Pain
For most people, back pain is usually moderate to severe. For most, the cause of pain is simply the rigors of a busy life. For others, it is a consequence of obesity. However, depending on the weight of the person and the extent of their current back pain, the pain can naturally vanish or may become worse.
Techniques
Most chiropractors use a range of techniques such as spinal manipulation and mobilization to help the joints in the spinal column enjoy a greater degree of freedom, alleviating back pain. For example, many spinal manipulation techniques help realign the spinal column and bring it back into its original form. However, this requires multiple treatments. Then again, spinal mobilization is a gentler technique many chiropractors use to treat patients.
Reasons for Preference
Possibly the most important reason why over 40 million Americans prefer their chiropractors to regular physicians is the fact that they use non-invasive techniques to alleviate pain. Without using drugs and surgery, the risk of side effects and infection is virtually zero.
Another reason why most people prefer chiropractors to regular physicians is due to the fear of pain. Regular medication may prove to be discomforting or painful, as in the case of surgery. Fortunately, the alternative is not.
Chiropractors use their hands at certain points to help your body not only relax but adjust itself to a better spinal position. By combining adjunctive therapy with spinal mobilization, not only are they able to ‘work out the kinks’ but ensure that the pain does not happen again, at least for a while. You need to remember that most long-lasting effects are obtained through constant periodic treatment.
Chiropractors have spent over a century trying to perfect their art and help people without ever having to make an incision or provide harmful drugs. Using their hands and the body itself, they are able to not only help alleviate back pain but also prevent it – one treatment at a time.
Image used under Creative Commons Licensing: Chiropractor by doctorwonder
Computer Ergonomics
Ergonomics is a field which is fast becoming popular, because of its focus on designing and providing working spaces and stations, suitable and convenient for humans. The need for ergonomically fit furniture and work environment has become tenfold, because of the highly competitive and stressful work requirements in the industry these days. Absence of ergonomics at work and home puts strain on individuals and they tire out easily. The different muscular pains and strains contracted because of a stressful working environment are treated efficiently by chiropractors.
Computer and Ergonomics
Many individuals spend a major portion of their day working on computers in the office or at home. The long hours spent in front of computers and laptops have a harmful effect on the physical health of an individual, causing different musculoskeletal disorders.
Such individuals run a high risk of contracting back aches, neck pains, shoulder and arm aches and carpal tunnel problems. These medical conditions are very painful and hamper the work of the individual, both at home and in the office.
Ergonomically designed furniture and working environments are specifically constructed with an eye to provide a suitable and stress free work surrounding to individuals, which minimizes the risk of contracting various muscular strains, which ultimately affect the efficiency of an individual.
Individuals experience physical strains, while working on computers, because of their negligence in maintaining a suitable body posture, which results in pains in the back, neck and shoulders. Computers need to be placed in a suitable way to facilitate working, without any strain.
Different musculoskeletal disorders are contracted by individuals, who work on computers and laptops, for long periods of time, without ergonomically fit desk spaces and laptop stands. Computers and laptops need to be positioned according to the ergonomics specified guidelines, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body posture.
The absence of ergonomically designed computer desk spaces and furniture, results in different painful medical conditions, like:
Carpal Tunnel: The median nerve in the wrist contracts, due to over exertion, which results in a tingling and sometimes numb sensation in the thumb, index and ring finger. In extreme cases, the patient experiences great pain and swelling which requires a few weeks of healing time.
Repetitive Strain Injury: Caused by repeated tasks and forceful exertions, in which the body experiences pain in the back, neck and shoulder area. In some cases, this might also affect the legs and thighs of an individual.
Bursitis: It is a condition which involves the inflammation of the bursa, a sac filled with lubricating fluid which facilitates in movement. It is a very painful condition for the affected individual.
By using ergonomically fit furniture and computer desk spaces, individuals can reduce the risk of contracting different painful strains and muscular disorders. Chiropractors provide effective treatments to the individuals suffering from different musculoskeletal problems.
Image used under Creative Commons Licensing: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.png
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