Help for Back Pain

The back is a marvelous construction that combines bones, muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and many other types of tissue in one complete system. Without your spine and the structures that support it, you wouldn’t be able to sit, stand, walk, or even wrap your arms around a loved one. Many people fail to consider the health of their spine until back pain becomes a daily companion. If you take care of your spine before a problem develops or seek treatment quickly, it is often possible to relieve the pain without relying on strong medications or risky procedures.

What is Back Pain

When searching for help with back pain, it is best to start by taking a full inventory of your symptoms. Many different irritations and inflammations fall under the category of back pain. However, each one has its own set of likely causes. Narrowing down your symptoms to the regions where they occur and the sensations you feel will give our New Haven team plenty to work with as they head into the testing and diagnosis phase.

Back Pain Symptoms

Back pain is a common symptom of everything from the flu to birth defects. However, this irritation can take the form of symptoms such as:

• Inflammation centered in the lower back (lumbar), neck (cervical), and mid-back (thoracic) regions
• Stiffness along the spine or in the muscles surrounding it
• Pops, cracks, and other noises or sensations when you move after resting
• Pain that is worse or better after resting
• Pain that is worsened or improved by exercise
• Spasms throughout the back that make it hard to stand, sit, or even lie down
• Numbness

Cause of Low Back Pain, Chronic Back Pain, etc.

For some people, there is no clear cause underlying their symptoms. Others have a definite issue that we can pick up on with proper testing. Some spinal abnormalities may require immediate treatment, such as advanced cauda equine syndrome. Other causes that respond well to more conservative care include:

• Injuries to the spine during a car accident or football game
• Activities like running and jumping that put a lot of wear and tear on the back
• Degeneration due to aging, osteoarthritis, or excess stress on the joints of the spine
• Scoliosis
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia
• Nerve compression or a herniated disc

Back Pain Risks

The actions you are taking right now might be putting you at risk for back pain in the future. Many of these risk factors also irritate back issues further to cause more pain. Try eliminating bad habits like:

• Poor posture, especially when seated
• Pushing yourself too hard when exercising, playing sports, or doing physical labor
• Lifting heavy boxes or unbalanced loads
• Lifting with your back instead of your legs
• A sedentary lifestyle that allows the major back muscles to weaken
• Untreated depression or anxiety

Back Pain Treatment Options

For many decades, people had to choose from painkillers or surgeries to stop back pain. The advancement of spinal treatments and the spread of chiropractic care now provides many more options that don’t come with so many side effects and risks. We help New Haven area patients with treatments like:

• Electrical stimulation to calm irritated or damage nerves
• Spinal alignment therapy to straighten out slipped vertebrae and relieve pressure on discs
• Recommendations for braces or other support appliances to protect the back during activities that put it at risk
• Steroid shots to reduce pain in one specific area

Testing And Treatment Plans

When a patient comes in with complaints of back pain, we start with a medical history and examination to learn about underlying risks. We combine this information with state of the art testing to explore the spine and the nerves for signs of damage. Once we know why you are experiencing chronic pain, fatigue, or headaches in addition to the back cramps, we can put together a custom solution that fits your lifestyle. Contact us today to learn how you can live free of back pain in Fort Wayne, New Haven, or surrounding areas.