Back Pain

Causes of Back Pain

The main causes of back pain include:

• Subluxations (Misalignments)
• Injuries and Accidents
• Muscle Strains
• Tendon & Ligament Sprains
• Herniated Disc & Disc Degeneration
• Osteoarthritis

Subluxations (Misalignments). This is a very common problem. When the vertebrae in the spine are out of alignment, it is known as a subluxation. The subluxation puts pressure on the nerves and irritates the nerves causing pain. Subluxations also disrupt the communication of the nervous system causing only partial information to be received by the brain. When this happens your immune system is weakened, and your organs and muscles may not function as well as they should.

Muscle, Ligament & Tendon Injuries. Muscle strains and sprains to ligaments and tendons in your back cause pain They can also affect the proper alignment of the spine. When treating these soft-tissue injuries, it is important to make sure the spine is aligned. Left untreated subluxations can lead to loss of flexibility and range of motion. Ultimately, osteoarthritis can develop. Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of joint cartilage and bone that causes pain and stiffness.

Degenerating Disc Disease. Herniated discs and bulging discs can put pressure on the nerves exiting the spine. This can cause back pain and other issues. Maintaining the health of your spinal discs is important to stay pain-free. If a disc starts to degenerate and becomes compressed, the intervertebral foramen (opening the nerves use to exit the spine) becomes smaller. Degeneration puts pressure on the nerves that can cause pain. Inflammation in the joints from osteoarthritis will also affect the nerves and cause back pain.

Back Pain is a Sign Something is Wrong

Back pain is not something to be ignored. Too often, people take medications for back pain that will cover up the pain or temporarily reduce inflammation while not treating the actual cause of their problem. When you experience back pain, it is your body telling you something is wrong and needs to be corrected. Often, it is a subluxation that your chiropractor can easily correct.

If you ignore your back pain, hoping it will go away, the underlying cause of the problem will not be corrected, and your back pain will likely return. Subluxations and injuries are the primary causes of back pain. In either case, the cause needs to be located and corrected. Leaving back pain untreated can lead to disc degeneration and ultimately osteoarthritis. Untreated back pain may come and go while getting progressively worse until you reach the point where the degeneration cannot be reversed. Don’t ignore back pain. When you experience it, contact your chiropractor and set up an appointment to have your back pain assessed and treated.

See a Chiropractor for Back Pain

As mentioned earlier in this article, back pain is very common. Chiropractors are experienced in locating the source of your back pain, correcting it, and restoring normal functions while relieving your pain. Chiropractic care is the best way to treat back pain.

When you meet with Dr. Mike Berardis, he will discuss your health history, your current back pain, and run a series of tests — including x-rays if needed — to locate the source of your back pain. Once the source of your back pain has been found, Dr. Berardis will put together a treatment plan to correct your problem and relieve your pain.

If you are experiencing back pain, contact Dr. Mike Berardis at (914) 962-1234 and set up an appointment. You can also use our appointment form. If you have friends and family that can benefit from this article, please share and recommend it.