As a Chiropractor based in New York we tend to see our fair share of Back Pain patients. Patients often ask ‘what’s going on?’ and the truth be told in many cases not a whole lot has changed from the day prior to your pain arising. That herniated disc, arthritic spine, pinched nerve – all likely there even when you had no pain.(this is generally not the case with traumatic injuries).
So, that being said, why is it that you have pain now? Really, it’s a combination of things. Your body is cyclical and we go through periods of increased vs. decreased stress loads. We lose hydration and then regain it. Our own protective, or internal resistive forces, be it physical or emotional or whatever also vary in terms of threshold. This collective repetition of stress leads to what I like to call a ‘break’ in your body’s function. When ‘breaks’ occur we tend to have more susceptibility towards injury. This overloads the already worn out spinal structures and leads to an acute exacerbation, i.e. symptoms.
Function should always be ones true measure of success. Are you 100% functional? If so, the herniated disc on MRI doesn’t really signify much. Of course, how one cares for their own bodies and the level of degeneration that sets in in the first place is an entirely different conversation. One which I do have an opinion about and just to let you in on it I don’t believe it all comes with the territory of aging. I’ve personally seen an 80 year old patient with ZERO degenerative changes in their spine.
What Can I do If I Already Have Degeneration, Sciatica or Back Pain?
These types of acute exacerbation s that lead to sometimes debilitating pain such as back pain, sciatica or leg pain can leave you begging for relief. Often times the pain gets so bad, to the point of mental anguish and distress, that patients will opt for more invasive procedures in the hopes of complete and total relief only to be disappointed. Long term studies have shown that surgical outcomes may not be any better then 50% and worse.
Generally, it’s recommended that you take conservative approach to physical rehabilitation. Pain relieving medications may be necessary, and helpful, in the short term but will only mask the pain and symptoms and do little to ‘fix’ things up. Spinal decompression therapy is one type of approach that has been successful treating these types of pain conditions where other more conservative approaches such as physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture and massage have failed.
It should be noted that spinal decompression therapy is not appropriate for everyone and should be combined with an aggressive form of neuro-muscular rehabilitation. Lumbar stabilization can be achieved very well using Active Therapeutic Movements on the ATM2 machine in conjunction with spinal decompression therapy.
Learn more about non-surgical approaches to pain relief here:
The Center for Chiropractic & Decompression NYC
1201 Broadway Ste 1003 New York, NY 10001
Dr. Sadovnik
