Our healthcare system spends upwards of $80 billion on the diagnosis and treatment of back pain.
It can be one of the most frustrating feelings to seek ongoing treatment for back pain, only to find that after much time and effort, you still have back pain. In my years of practice, I have seen many people come in after treatments with other doctors that yielded no results. Here are five of the most common reasons that your back pain treatments might be failing.
Viscerosomatic reactions are essential to understanding how the body is interconnected. Viscero means organ, and somatic refers to the body or muscular system. A viscerosomatic reaction happens when a pain signal from an organ enters the spinal cord where interconnecting neurons relating to peripheral motor (muscles, blood vessels, skin) structures also reside. What this means is that both the muscular system and your organs are linked. Simple examples of this are the Heimlich maneuver and CPR chest compressions because these life-saving techniques physically impact the body or soma.
A frequent comment or question I hear often is - once you go to a chiropractor, do you have to go for regular checkups and should you go for the rest of your life? This question always makes me smile. My philosophy is to see patients as little as possible, with patients maintaining results as long as possible. This philosophy is exactly why I created the Backbridge. This simple product allows my patients to maintain spine health at home. Many chiropractic and physical therapy patients don't need to see a chiropractor every week or see a physical therapist everyday, but taking care of your spinal health should be part of your daily routine.
The question, should I see a chiropractor for life, always starts a great discussion; do you feel the same way about going to the dentist? Or how about going to the gym or eating healthy foods? Should we only do these things once? Absolutely not! Preventative care is critical; we should be taking care of our teeth daily and our bodies daily. Checkups by respective doctors should happen each year, and more frequently, if needed, to help maintain healthy bodies – and teeth!
Taking care of your body and health is a life-long pursuit, and chiropractic care can be an integral part of your overall mission to health. I am a strong believer in preventative medicine and being proactive for my own health. I don't wait until I have a severe toothache to go to the dentist. I set up periodic checkups to make sure that all is ok with my teeth and gums. We need to take this same approach when it comes to our spine and spinal health.
Our spines, and the health of our spines, impact every nerve, muscle, organ, and bone in our entire body. Simple daily spinal decompression and use of the Backbridge at home for two minutes, two times a day, is as simple as brushing your teeth! I urge you to look at your spinal health and make taking care of your spine, like you do your teeth, a priority.
Your body will thank you for it.
