“The Best Approach For Relieving  Lower Back Pain, Lower Back Stiffness, Back Spasms, and Lumbago In Burlington, Ontario “

If you live in Burlington Ontario and are experiencing lower back pain ( LBP ), you are most likely not living life to it’s fullest.

Simple tasks like putting on a pair of shoes or socks, shaving, driving a car, lifting up your kids, vacuuming, & prolonged sitting or standing can be very difficult. This is not to mention if you have a job that requires you to do physical labour , or you like to play sports & work-out & all the chores associated with owning a home.

Did you know that about 85% of the population will experience disabling lower back pain at least once in their lives?! And, according to one researcher, the problem is so bad that at any one time, 6 – 8 % of the adult population is suffering from an episode of lower back pain lasting more than 2 wks. What is even worse is that most people do not know what to do if they have a lower back problem.

Some are told it will go away on it’s own.

Others are told that they will have to learn how to live with it.

Then there are those who are told that taking drugs & medication is the answer to their problem. What is unfortunate is that while all health practitioners have good intentions, a lot of these recommendations are misdirected and will result in the patient’s back condition to worsen. Many times this will lead to the need for surgery & most times after surgery, your back is just never the same again.

Signs & symptoms that you have a lower back problem include but are not limited to the following:

• numbness in the lower extremity ( leg/foot ),
• tingling/ pins and needles in the lower extremity,
• burning sensations in the lower back &/or extremity,
• chronic stiffness in the lower back,
• stiffness in the lower back after sitting or sleeping,
• difficulty standing in one place,
• back &/or leg pain and stiffness after exercise/activity,
• dull ache in the lower back,
• weakness of the lower back,
• shooting pains in the lower back &/or extremity,
• muscle spasms in the lower back,
• pain during coughing, sneezing or a bowel movement ( this can be in the back or leg both )
• unlevel hips ( you would know this if you have to tailor your trousers to different leg lengths & no, it is NOT normal to have legs of different lengths ).

Other symptoms that you may not associate with lower back problems: constipation, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), impotence, infertility, bladder infections, urinary tract infections, bed-wetting, frequent urination, groin pain/pulls, weak knees & ankles & propensity to sprains of the knees & ankles.

Now, if you’ve been told your back problem is due to a DISC PROBLEM, this is what you need to know. Discs do not slip. They are attached to the vertebrae they sit in between & actually join the spinal bones together. They act as spinal shock absorbers, help maintain proper spinal posture & give your spine its flexibility & strength. Discs can swell, bulge, rupture & degenerate but they do not slip. And this too can be a source of lower back &/or leg pain as well as many of the symptoms previously mentioned.

Some BACK FACTS to consider…

• Lower back pain has been documented frequently in individuals under 10 yrs of age.
• Back symptoms are among the 10 leading reasons why a person will visit an emergency room.
• Back pain will become chronic in 5 – 10 % of those who suffer.
• Back symptoms are the most common cause of disability in person’s under 45 yrs of age.
• People who smoke, are obese, think depressing thoughts, are anxious & subject themselves to high levels of stress have a much higher incidence of low back pain.
• Your back is most vulnerable to injury during the first hour after waking, and anytime after prolonged periods of sitting or sleeping.
• Most back injuries are not the result of a single activity or exposure to heavy lifting, but instead are related to repetitive motion & overall poor spinal hygiene.
• Poor spinal hygiene is when your spine is not properly postured, is unbalanced ( tipped pelvis ) & has any type of disc problem as those outlined previously.

All of these will cause painful spinal joints, irritated spinal nerves & any of the symptoms & other health conditions previously related to problems with the lower back.

The sad thing is that most people do not know what to do if they or their children start suffering with lower back pain. Most often they are told to take drugs. Pain-killers, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories or combinations thereof are often prescribed. And even if these do mask the symptoms, they DO NOT address the cause of the problem. They do however carry the risk of side- effects such as stomach bleeds, digestive upset, kidney & liver problems.

This is just too risky a trade-off especially when you consider that the drugs are just masking the problem. They cover up but do not cure and in all my years of practice I have not come across someone having a health problem because they were NOT taking medication.

I have seen however, countless patients have serious lower back problems because they were told to take drugs and all the while they thought they felt better, they were doing more damage to their back because they couldn’t feel it due to the drugs.

Other back facts that low back pain sufferers should know…

• The Manga Report was commissioned by the Gov’t of Ontario. Leading economists found that chiropractic care for patients with low back pain is superior to medical care in terms of SAFETY, SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS, COST & PATIENT SATISFACTION. “ The higher satisfaction levels expressed by patients of chiropractors…offer an overwhelming case in favour of much greater use of chiropractic services in the management of lower back pain. … a very good case can be made for making chiropractors the gatekeepers for management of low back pain in the workers’ compensation system.”

• In the US … In 1994, the federal government sent shockwaves throughout the health care system when a definitive public pronouncement established chiropractic as one of the preferred & most effective methods of care for acute low back pain. A panel of medical experts spent 2 ½ years reviewing nearly 4000 studies & reported that expensive tests ( MRI, CT scans ) and therapies typically used to diagnose & treat acute lower back pain ( ice, heat, massage, diathermy )are largely useless. Instead, the experts recommended the non-drug chiropractic approach. THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES … doctors of chiropractic relieve chronic & severe pain, both immediate & long term, in ½ the time it takes medical physicians. There are now in excess of 60 scientific studies which demonstrate the value of manipulation…manipulation is a most cost-effective form of treatment for dysfunctional problems in the cervical, thoracic & lumbar spines ( lower back ).

Why are the results so overwhelmingly in favour of chiropractic ?

Because chiropractors have helped millions of people with low back pain problems, often saving them from pain, disability, drugs and surgery.

The chiropractor’s purpose is to make your spine and it’s nerves, discs and muscles healthier, stronger & more stable by correcting your spinal misalignments.

Anyone suffering from a back problem should see a chiropractor as this may make the difference between a life of ease, health & comfort or a life of pain, disease & disability.
To find out more you may contact us to request your free LOW BACK PAIN REPORT or schedule your FREE CONSULTATION. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE ( 5433 ).

Click Here To Get In Contact With Dr. Brad At The Life Chiropractic Centre in Burlington, Ontario