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What is Recommended for Relief of Lower Back Pain

What is Recommended for Relief of Lower Back Pain

What is Recommended for Relief of Lower Back Pain Lower back pain is something everyone gets at some point to varying degrees. Some people will have a fall or some sort of trauma however lots, if not most people, will just slowly start to get a nagging ache in their lower back that grows over time with no obvious cause for it. If you are any of these then this is a guide on how Chiropractic care can help you. I will try to keep this short and sweet but as you probably can imagine there are lots of elements to lower back pain, especially the not so obvious type. So to start off we should discuss the guidelines set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or known as the NICE Guidelines, as this is what all medical and therapeutic services in the UK should abide to that includes the NHS and private services (NICE Guidelines Pathway Updated March 2021). What the NICE Guidelines recommend for Lower Back Pain The first step is to get the correct information on your lower back pain as well as information on how to manage it yourself. Chiropractic is in a very strong position to help you with this as we specialise in back and spine problems, yes we can help with other body parts and problems however back pain is our bread and butter. The second step has many options and which one you take depends on how you would like to manage your problem. The different options are Exercise, Manual Therapy, Psychological Therapy, Pharmacological treatments or Specific...
Does chiropractic treatment hurt?

Does chiropractic treatment hurt?

Does chiropractic treatment hurt? As chiropractors, one of the most common questions we get asked is ‘does it hurt?’. Many people feel nervous about seeking chiropractic care due to fear that the chiropractic adjustments, or ‘manipulation’, may cause them pain either during or after they have been treated. A host of viral videos on social media demonstrating extreme cracking and spinal manipulation has lead many to worry about what exactly chiropractors do! Most people find Chiropractic Adjustments do not hurt and that they enjoy the instant relief from an adjustment So what is a chiropractic adjustment? A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, specific thrust delivered by hand to the spinal joints in either your neck, mid/low back or pelvis. Registered UK chiropractors undergo 4-5 years of training in order to learn how to deliver adjustments both safely and with as little discomfort to the patient as possible. We are trained to identify the restricted joints in the spine that may be causing you discomfort – through adjusting the joints we are able to restore movement to the spine and remove pressure from any nerves that may be irritated. How does it feel? During your chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor will talk you through all of the techniques they are using, enabling you to feel relaxed and in control throughout. To the patient, the spinal adjustment is felt simply as a quick thrust which may or may not be accompanied by a ‘clicking’ or ‘popping’ sound. This simply represents air escaping the joint – much like when you pop open a bottle of champagne! So is it painful? The answer is...
Can the anti-inflammatory drugs you’re taking actually accelerate your arthritis?

Can the anti-inflammatory drugs you’re taking actually accelerate your arthritis?

Can your arthritis be accelerated by the anti-inflammatory drugs you’re taking? A lot of the people who come and see us at The Chiropractic Centre: Bristol are struggling with the symptoms of arthritis, and are often taking one of many Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) for it.  However research shows that this is the last thing you want to be taking, as these drugs have been proven to accelerate arthritis, the very problem you are trying to prevent! Cartilage is found between joints and is there to act as a shock absorber, to help the bones move freely in the joint, and to stop the bones grinding on one another.  Osteoarthritis, otherwise known as ‘wear and tear’ is where the cartilage between joints begins to wear down and the movement in the joint decreases and you begin to develop stiffness and pain. NSAIDs are the most commonly prescribed drugs for symptoms of Osteoarthritis, however research suggests that these drugs quicken the break down of cartilage in the joint, in other words, quicken the process of arthritis! When our body is damaged, it starts an immune response to begin the healing process.  When the bone and cartilage is affected, the body releases molecules called prostaglandins, along with many more!  These prostaglandins contribute to the repair of cartilage (Otsuka, Aoyama, Furu, et al., 2009).  NSAIDs stop this from happening by stopping an enzyme that produces these prostaglandins; which is not what you want when you have already damaged joints! Research shows that commonly used NSAID pain killers slow down the repair of cartilage and speed up the development of arthritis in your joints Many people know the common side...
Back pain: My back just went and I’m in agony – I only picked up a pencil!

Back pain: My back just went and I’m in agony – I only picked up a pencil!

All I did was pick up a pencil! And the back pain is horrific! We have a lot of people come and see us in agony; excruciating back pain radiating down their legs (sciatica), that started after picking up a pencil off the floor! It’s not always a pencil, however some arbitrary movement you’ve done many times before.  So why does your back ‘go’ in such an extreme way when you weren’t doing something silly or heroic?!  The best answer is the saying: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back’.  What this means is, a camel can carry a lot of straw, however eventually there will be the difference of one piece of straw that will ‘break the camel’s back’. So what do humans and camels have in common? Well, I’m not going to go down the hump route.  The similarity is, as modern day humans our 21st century lifestyles are constantly putting stress (bits of straw) on our backs.  We are not designed to sit, yet we sit for hours on end at work or in front of the tv, often in poor postures slouching.  Research tells us we sit on average for 7.7 hours per day, which is 55% of our waking day.  We are designed to lift using our legs but we lift mostly using our backs.  We aren’t designed to live constantly stressful lives, yet we live lives filled with deadlines, worries and negative thoughts.  So what happens is we constantly load and stress our lives with pieces of straw, and often our spine is taking the brunt of it.  One day we do something we have...
The BIG Idea – BJ Palmer 1944

The BIG Idea – BJ Palmer 1944

The BIG Idea Written in 1944 as part of the Chiropractic Green Books, here is BJ Palmer’s Big Idea.  The Green Books have acted at the foundations for Chiropractic Philosophy and are still relevant today.  Here is BJ’s Big Idea:   The BIG Idea A slip on the snowy sidewalk in winter is a SMALL thing.  It happens to millions. A fall from a ladder in the summer is a SMALL thing.  It also happens to millions. The slip or fall produces a subluxation.  The subluxation is a SMALL thing. The subluxation produces pressure on a nerve.  That pressure is a SMALL thing. That decreased flowing produces a dis-eased body and brain.  That is a BIG thing to that man. Multiply that sick man by a thousand, and you control the physical and mental welfare of a city. Multiply that man by one hundred thirty million, and you forecast and can prophesy the physcial and mental status of a nation. So the slip or fall, the subluxation, pressure, flow of mental images and dis-ease are big enough to control the thoughts and actions of a nation. The pressure on a nerve is a SMALL thing. The released pressure restoring health is a BIG thing. Now comes a man.  And one man is a SMALL thing. This man gives an adjustment.  The adjustment is a SMALL thing. The adjustment replaces the subluxation.  That is a SMALL thing. The adjusted subluxation releases pressure upon nerves.  That is a SMALL thing. The released pressure restores health to a man.  This is a BIG thing to that man. Multiply that well man by a thousand, and...

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