What a pain! With back pain on the increase in the UK, read about how to treat and avoid it.
Just last year, the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) reported an increase in sufferers of back pain. Lifestyle is to blame, but perhaps not in the ways you might think.
Spending a long time seated is the number one cause of the nation’s struggles with everything from bulging discs to sciatica and upper back pain. Treatment for the outcome of this sedentary lifestyle is now sought by an incredible 45% of the population.
Interestingly sports and exercise has made it in to the list of the top five triggers, which is reflected here at London Wellness as we see many clients asking for pulled back muscle treatment or back muscle spasm treatment.
Aside from the advice given by the BCA to increase movement, take regular breaks and cut back on device use, which increases the likelihood of poor posture, what should sufferers be looking for when trying to find the right back pain specialist?
We’ve addressed some common questions below to help you make the right decision.
Should I see a chiropractor or physiotherapist for back pain?
When choosing between a chiropractor or physiotherapist for back pain, you need to consider how each specialist works. Both treat joint pain and musculoskeletal problems but a chiropractor is also neurologically trained. This means they focus on messages sent around the body by the central nervous system. One of the keys to unlocking a pain-free life is to retrain the brain that a muscle spasm or injury has been fixed. To do this, the messages need to be changed and the muscles ‘unlocked’. This is where the chiropractic specialism can provide longer-term solutions.
What about the benefits of a chiropractor vs doctor for back pain?
Unless your back pain is caused by a specific medical condition, there should be no need to involve a medical doctor. Even the NHS website advises a range of simple lifestyle changes over seeing a doctor.
A chiropractor will also be able to advise on upper back pain treatment – or lower back pain treatment – including exercises or stretches which can complement their treatments to build the strength in your upper or lower back and avoid future injury.
Do chiropractors crack your back?
This is a common fear that people have when considering the best course of action for their back pain treatment.
The cracking being referred to is the noise made when gas escapes from your joints – you may have had this pain-free experience in your knuckles. It has no adverse consequences and is just one method of adjusting your body to alleviate and avoid pain.
Can you help me with the right back pain treatment?
As a back specialist clinic, we see a wide range of back and neck sufferers. We advise on exercises to alleviate back pain, lower back pain treatment might include deep tissue massage or dry needling (similar to acupuncture). We also have proven methods of stress related back pain treatment as well as upper back pain treatment and any associated neck and shoulder pain.