Bottom Line: 

You’ve felt back pain. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky because research shows at least 80% of the population will experience back pain in their lifetime. What’s causing it and why? Well, there are several common causes of back pain, and the first step on your road to recovery is identifying what type of back issue you’re dealing with. Our goal at Michigan Complete Chiropractic Rehab is to find the exact cause of your back pain and work with you, getting you out of pain as quickly as possible.

Why it Matters: 

Identifying the source of your pain is critical to developing the right plan of care. Our chiropractor, Dr. Baldwin, is excellent at identifying musculoskeletal causes of back pain and making lasting changes to the joints and muscular system.  Research has found that while imaging can be helpful, it isn’t required every time you experience back pain. Starting with a thorough history and physical examination, Dr. Baldwin will pinpoint your pain generator, identify the root cause, and create a complete plan of action to get you feeling better as quickly as possible. 

A couple of the most common pain generators in the spine are: 

• Muscle Strain - Muscle strains don't tend to occur because of a single traumatic occurrence. Instead, they usually happen due to repetitive physical stress and overuse. 

• Herniated/ Bulging Discs - Between each of the vertebrae of your spine, you have discs. These discs absorb shock and allow movement of your spine. A herniated disc is when the inside (the nucleus) of the disc pushes through the outside (the annulus fibrosus) of the disc wall. The pain you feel from a herniated disc generally comes from the disc irritating or in some instances, compressing a nearby spinal nerve. This could begin to cause sciatica and other conditions. 

• Ligament Sprain: We have numerous ligaments connecting each of your spinal vertebrae. Through repetitive motion or a single traumatic occurrence, one or many of these ligaments can be damaged and caused pain

Back pain is not always cut and dry. Sometimes it is a combination of these pain generators and other outside factors that can be causing your back pain. Some of these other factors include: diet, smoking, drinking alcohol, you’re overall mood and outlook of life, fear, previous episodes and previous diagnoses.

You should know, you’re back pain DOES NOT define you. You can recover from this and get back to enjoying your life!

Next Steps: 

Dealing with back pain can be scary. But don’t stress! Most back pain can be taken care of without drugs or surgery. Click here to learn more about back pain and how you could benefit from seeing a chiropractor like me!

If you’re unsure of the diagnosis or cause of your pain, reach out to our practice today. We’ll be happy to help guide YOU on the best course of treatment to help YOU feel better quickly! It would be my pleasure to help you keep doing what you love, pain-free!

Science Source: 

Low Back Pain Fact Sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 2020

 https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/What-is-Chiropractic/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics

Appropriate Use of Diagnostic Imaging in Low Back Pain: A Reminder That Unnecessary Imaging May Do as Much Harm as Good

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