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[RC] Back pain - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Bruce Weary D.C. bwear@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Dede-- I have seen inquiries about back pain arise many times here on Ridecamp, and thought I'd respond to your questions, and hopefully inform others who don't have a problem now but might in the future. Most back pain is what we call "mechanical." While this isn't a very good term, it tells us that back pain is usually a result of malfunction of the gliding joints of the spine. There are approximately 150 joints in the spine, and they all have to move, and do so in a precise manner in order for the spine as a whole to funtion properly. When the spine is overwhelmed by such things as trauma, prolonged stressful postures (at a computer), athletics, stress, or even a sedentary lifestyle,joints in various regions of the spine will "jam" and the neurologic "conversation" between the joints and the spinal cord/brain changes. Pain fibers are allowed to express themselves to the brain, spasm is turned on, and inflammation, congestion, and tissue damage sets in. It's common for people to get busy doing exercises in this phase, which is fruitless. The effects of exercise at this point are largely nullified until normal motion is restored to the spinal joints. It's a bit like brushing your teeth aggressively for a new-found cavity. It's helpful to see your problem as being in two parts. You have an orthopedic problem, and you have the pain generated by it. If you only address some of the obvious symptoms with ice, heat, stretches, P.T., etc., you may get some limited temporary relief, but when you feel better, you may be fooled into thinking you are recovered because you don't hurt. In most cases, people are left with mechanical malfunction in their backs and necks, (it is now sub-clinical, which means you can't feel it) and it is the long-term effects of this that usually lead eventually to chronic pain, disc failure, disc thinning, and arthritis of the spine. I have been a chiropractor for 22 years, and am well aware of some people's reluctances about seeing one, but be assured that spinal manipulation has for some time now been considered as part of mainstream health care. As an instructor for three of the chiropractic colleges, I am the first to admit that there are a lot of hacks out there. But in the hands of a skilled practitioner, you are bound to get overwhelmingly good results. Word of mouth is still the best way to find a good D.C., but you can also ask your medical doctor. He will either approve or disaprove. He may know a good one, and he will certainly have heard of the bad ones. As a last point, think of your back problem as similar to a toothache from a cavity. You will get all sorts of recommendations for what to do for the pain and swelling associated with it-- ice, heat, advil, etc., but eventually a professional will need to intervene to alleviate the origin of the problem. Hope this helps. Bruce Weary D.C. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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