The human form is engineered by years of evolution for a lifetime of upright walking, making the human skeleton unique. Unlike our closest primate ancestors, we have a skeleton with an S-shaped spine, an upright pelvis, long leg bones, and arched feet. All of this makes a life of upright walking and running possible, and that gave our early ancestors all sorts of advantages. Still, a lifetime of walking upright and fighting gravity takes its toll. Many millions of people around the world today suffer from chronic back pain and spinal issues, which are among the most common types of chronic pain today. Serious spinal injuries may call for surgery, but more minor, regular cases of back pain can be handled with non invasive medicine. At a hospital, a patient undergoing physical therapy (or PT) may have access to a number of rehab tools and systems ranging from range of motion data to physical therapy tools like stretch test bands. Meanwhile, a chiropractic adjusting instrument can indeed be used at a chiropractor’s office, and a chiropractic adjusting instrument can relieve a patient from back pain without any surgery necessary.
How Back Pain Happens
How often do Americans suffer from back pain, and why does it happen? Many studies are conducted every year to track public health in the United States, and the data shows that at any given time, around 31 million Americans are dealing with back pain problems. One in three women and one in four men may face back pain symptoms, and nearly 50% of working class Americans admit that they get back pain symptoms every year. Experts have estimated that around 80% of the American population may experience back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain ranks as the second most common reason why Americans see their doctor, behind only upper respiratory problems.
Years of hard manual labor (such as construction) wears out and strains the body, which can easily lead to back pain and spinal distress. Many surveyed Americans also blame ongoing stress for their back pain, and pregnant women may get back pain or spinal issues later in their pregnancy. An injury, such as a sports injury, can certainly strain the spine or back muscles, too. Old age is another factor, as many years of walking upright and fighting gravity causes the spine to collapse on itself. This can distress the joints and pinch muscles and nerves, causing acute pain. Unless a patient needs surgery, they can opt for non invasive medicine, such as a chiropractic adjusting instrument or even yoga sessions. This can go a long way toward addressing back main and mobility issues.
Visiting the Doctor
If a person suffers from chronic pain or spine mobility problems, they can visit their doctor and explain all this. From there, the doctor may refer them to a specialist, such as a chiropractor or yoga expert, as mentioned above. A chiropractor may use a chiropractic adjusting instrument or even their bare hands to adjust a patient’s back muscles and bones, and doing this will relieve pressure on the joints, nerves, and muscles alike. This clears up pain and restores the patient’s mobility, no surgery needed. A patient may get similar results when they visit a yoga studio and sign up for private sessions there. With direct guidance, the patient may perform a variety of poses and stretches to naturally relieve pressure on joints and loosen up their muscles.
What about a hospital patient? Such a patient might undergo PT to recover their ability to walk or even stand upright, and a physical therapist will help them over the course of several sessions. In the meantime, the therapist will track the patient’s progress in a variety of ways, such as giving the patient large elastic bands to stretch out. Doing this will demonstrate the threshold for the patient’s flexibility, muscle strength, and pain management, and the therapist may also use motion capture cameras to track the patient’s movements and flexibility. This allows the therapist to carefully track the patient’s arcs of motion, balance, and more, and evaluate when that patient is fit to be released from the hospital.