If you are suffering from low back pain in Sacramento, know that you are not alone. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “back pain is the single leading cause of disability, preventing many people from engaging in work as well as other everyday activities.” The fact that you are dealing with pain in your lower back may not be unusual, but it still obviously causes concern. Your pain may make it difficult for you to lead your normal life, so it only makes sense to seek a solution to your health issue.

Fortunately, chiropractic offers a proven solution to low back pain for many, many people in the U.S. and around the world. Chiropractic adjustments are safe and effective for most patients, and they offer a nondrug, non-surgical solution—something that cannot be said for many back pain treatments.

To give you a better idea of how chiropractic at Progressive Chiropractic is effective for low back pain, let’s look at some of the details concerning what causes low back pain and what chiropractic is able to accomplish in the treatment of such pain.

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Understanding Low Back Pain in Sacramento

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 8 out of 10 people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives—and the low back is the most common area for people to feel back pain. The pain may show up suddenly and go away eventually, or it may stick around for weeks, months, years or a lifetime.

Low back pain is difficult to diagnose because of how complex the spine is. The vertebrae, discs, nerves, ligaments, muscles and other soft tissues that make up and support the spine are all prone to injury, overuse and/or degeneration. Any malfunction in the back can lead to back pain, caused by pressure on spinal nerves, muscle pain or other reasons. The lower back bears most of the weight carried by the spine, so it is the most prone to injury and/or degradation.

If the back were simpler, it might be possible for health care professionals to easily pinpoint a problem area and fix it. But it is not simple, which means that diagnosing exactly what is going on when the lower back hurts can involve much trial and error.

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SPINAL HEALTH BASICS FOR THE LOWER BACK

A Healthy Spine

• When your spine is healthy, each vertebra sits on top of the other to create a curving stack. The discs, soft cushions that sit in between each vertebra, provide shock absorption and create space between the bones of the vertebrae. A healthy spine should be flexible and free of pain.

A Misaligned Spine

• Unfortunately, life has a way of disrupting healthy spines and causing them to lose alignment. Whether from injury, overuse or degenerative disease, one or more vertebrae can come out of alignment. When this happens, muscles can spasm and pressure can start on the nerves, leading to painful symptoms.

Disc Issues

• Another problem with the spine that can develop is issues with one or more of the spinal discs. Discs can wear out due to injury, overuse, age or a degenerative condition. If the disc stops providing enough cushion, the bones can begin to rub together and/or pressure can hit spinal nerves. A disc can also herniate, where the inner portion of the discs emerges through a tear in the tough outer layer. The emerging tissue can press against nerves and cause pain as well.

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HOW CHIROPRACTIC CAN HELP

Chiropractic care at Progressive Chiropractic in Sacramento specializes in spinal health. Every chiropractor goes through extensive training to understand how the components of the spine work together to ensure a healthy, pain-free body. They are also trained to identify problems with the spine and correct those problems using safe, non-invasive methods like adjustments.

When you go to a chiropractor for low back pain, you experience will likely be something like the following:

Comprehensive Physical Exam

• The chiropractor will give you a thorough exam, including feeling your lower back for misalignments and taking x-rays to see if there are issues with your spine.

Treatment Plan

• After the chiropractor has a chance to consider your current condition, he or she will come up with a treatment plan to try and lessen or eliminate your lower back pain. The treatment plan will likely include chiropractic adjustments and complementary therapies like massage and spinal decompression.

Getting Treatment

• Chiropractic treatment for acute low back pain takes around 6 to 12 sessions given over a 2 to 4 week period. The initial treatments are designed to get you relief from pain as quickly as possible. Once you have gotten over the initial discomfort, your chiropractor can help you find ways to minimize or eliminate low back pain moving forward.

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GET LOW BACK PAIN RELIEF

If you are suffering from low back pain, call Progressive Chiropractic in Sacramento today to schedule an appointment. Let us show you the many benefits of chiropractic care!