Welcome back to our second discussion about low back pain! In this post, we will be going over how we in our office approach patients that walk in with low back pain and how we are able to get awesome results NATURALLY!
What we find with low back pain is that the root cause of it is very often structural in nature. Usually, there is a structural imbalance, whether it's in the pelvis or in the spine. So, when there's a structural imbalance, it will result in tissues getting irritated. Tissues like muscles, joints, ligaments, and even more importantly, nerve irritation. There are nerves that come out from the spine and come out near the pelvis, that when there's a structural imbalance or misalignment, it will irritate the nerves. Now, these nerves carry the signals from the brain to the body that are keeping our body functioning and thriving. They control all the parts of the body, all the cells and organs. Not only that, but they also carry the pain signals. So, when a nerve is irritated, over time it can lead to the pain you feel in the area that the nerve controls. Therefore, this nerve irritation is very often the root cause of the issue. It's because of a misalignment or an imbalance in how the spine or the pelvis is aligned. This is called subluxation. This subluxation can be identified and confirmed with an x-ray.
After taking a thorough history and conducting a specific examination, we take digital x-rays when necessary to confirm if this is the case. When looking at the pelvic x-ray, we usually will see that the pelvis is rotated or tilted. One side of the hip bone will either be narrower or wider than the other, and often one side is higher than the other (much like the x-ray shown below).
When this happens, it will cause a lot of nerve irritation. Then, when we look at the spine, which balances on top of the pelvis, the vertebrae (individual spinal bones) are usually shifted off-center. When this happens, this will further irritate the nerves. Since the nerves in the low back are the nerves that are responsible for sensation, pain, and muscle control in the low back, it also causes muscle tension, muscle tightness, and even spasms in the low back/hip region.
After we confirm this subluxation from the x-ray, we then give our best recommendations to the patient, which will involve a corrective chiropractic care plan. After undergoing a series of specific, structural-focused chiropractic adjustments, we are able to help our patients by not only improving the alignment of the pelvis and of the spine to resolve the nerve irritation, we are also able to help them get back to functioning correctly. Whether that means being able to walk better, exercise more, sleep better, or play with their kids without pain. In our office, we also combine the x-rays with other crucial testing, such as digital postural assessments to see if your posture (the way you're positioning your body) is having an effect on your low back pain. We also do other scans such as a thermal nervous system scan to look for signs of inflammation along the nervous system as well as a static EMG muscle scan to see how your body is functioning on the inside and if the muscles are working correctly. In addition, we do a chiropractic assessment where we have you lay on the table and we put our hands on your spine and on your pelvis to see if we can feel (or palpate) any areas that are not moving very well or that are stuck/misaligned.
Be sure to stay tuned for our next post where we will explain to you our analysis and exactly how we perform our very specific corrective chiropractic adjustment to the low back!