Bulletproof Your Low Back In Canton GA

Dear Neighbors,

This is a monthly column that I contribute to address common health topics of all sorts. My intent as a Canton GA chiropractor is to write in a casual Q&A format so that children and adults alike can read and understand very important health topics. I have spent the last 15 years studying the most effective natural treatments for health problems, and have spent the last decade in clinical practice applying these treatments with great success. I wish to pass some of the best kept secrets onto you…

Question: “What can I do to treat/prevent low back pain?”

Answer: With over 80% of us experiencing back pain at one time or another in our lives, it is not an issue that only affects a few. There are a lot of misconceptions about the most researched and effective way to tackle lower back pain. The beginning, middle, and ending of the answer are all about one thing-MOVING!!!

Sitting is the New Smoking In Canton GA

No, that doesn't mean that if you want to look cool like the actors of yesteryear who used to light up on screen that you should find your favorite couch and submit a glamshot to Hollywood of your best sitting pose. It means that research has come out indicating that people who sit too much have just as many health consequences as people who smoke. You may not get lung cancer from too much sitting, but ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis are directly linked to too much time on your tush.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN???

• Sitting wreaks havoc on the little stabilizing muscles that keep our lower backs strong
• Sitting also causes our hamstrings to tighten, pulling on the fragile nerves in the low back
• Sitting makes us more prone to injury which obviously slows us down
• Sitting-related injuries make us hurt and want to sit more--> welcome to the vicious cycle

SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT???:

• If you sit for work, a sit-to-stand desk is a great tool to keep you moving throughout the day
• In my practice I always preach the 45 min rule. Set a timer and every 45 minutes take a short break to get up and move so that we don't accidentally get glued to the screens
• If you prefer, there are even devices or apps that remind you take a break from sitting

A Little Anatomy 101

I won't put you to sleep with boring details, but here are some bulletpoints about the structure of your lower back that will keep you smarter than the average bear:

1. Discs: the spinal discs are like jelly doughnuts that provide shock absorption between your vertebrae (spine). If the jelly doughnut gets pushed on too hard and leaks out, that's what we call a herniation. It pushes on the nerves of our low back, irritates the area, and causes pain
2. Core: when you hear people talk about "core" most of us think of abs. The small muscles that stabilize your lower back are core muscles and are just as important as our abs in keeping us happy and healthy in the lower back
3. Nerves: it's all about the nerves. Even when we describe low back pain as "muscle pain" it's the nerves that tell the muscles what to do. That sharp, shooting-down-the-leg pain? Nerves. To treat "muscle pain", we need to relieve pressure on the nerves. Then, the nerves tell the muscles to chill out-and what happens? Pain goes away.
4. Arthritis: there are many misconceptions about osteoarthritis (the degenerative kind). Here are the facts: "normal aging" doesn't cause osteoarthritis. Only areas of the spine that don't get exercised become arthritic. So what prevents this type of arthritis? Go back to the "answer" up top -> MOVEMENT!!

Where's the Good News, Doc?

The good news is that advances in research and treatment options have given us great ways to treat low back pain, AND also prevent it from coming back or happening in the first place. Our ability to bulletproof our low backs is like a multi-layered defense system. Let's look at what this defense system should look like if we treat our low backs with a little common sense:

• 1st Line of Defense: the first line of defense is a strong offense. What I mean here is that by keeping our low backs strong with exercise, stretching, and limiting too much sitting, we will prevent most injuries before they even occur.
• 2nd Line of Defense: the second line of defense comes into play when we start to feel anyamount of pain. The safest, and most effective treatment option here, is natural therapy to help the spine move. Although it used to be mostly recommended by word of mouth, scientific research has now shown chiropractic care to be most effective for this, although PT, massage therapy, and acupuncture can be helpful as well.
• 3rd Line of Defense: if natural treatment methods aren't successful for low back issues, medications and steroid injections can be then used to help reduce inflammation. It should be noted that most of the time, our bodies have the ability to heal without resorting to drugs.
• 4th Line of Defense: if natural treatment methods AND medications are unsuccessful and low back injuries affect our lives to the point that we can no longer live the way we'd like to, back surgery is the last option. Although no one should ever want to end up here, this option can be beneficial for people with conditions that can't heal on their own.

When you're wondering where is the best place to start bulletproofing your low back, don't forget to ask for help from some professionals that live in this space all day everyday: Personal trainers can show you exercises to strengthen your low back core muscles, massage therapists can help relieve muscle tension, chiropractors can use x-ray to help align the spine, and then refer out for more serious conditions if need be. Hopefully this provided a good start, and as always...Become a Priority In Your Life!!

Dr. Jeff can be reached for comment at:

Canton Chiropractic and Massage
400 Argonne Terrace, Canton, GA 30115
thecantonchiropractor.com
jgetbehead@yahoo.com
Cell: (504) 473- 0636