Back pain is a leading cause of disability according to the World Health Organisation[1] (WHO).
Up to eighty per cent of Australians will experience back pain at some point in their lives and 10% will experience significant disability as a result[2]. In the United States which also has similar statistics it’s estimated that back pain costs about 77 billion dollars a year to treat[3].
The WHO states that physical therapies such as Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Physiotherapy are the most sought-after therapies while traditional treatments previously prescribed including bed rest and corsets do not have validity, and that steroid injections should be actively discouraged as they show no greater benefit than placebo and are short acting[4] .
If you think about it, this means that every member of the average Australian family[5] will suffer back pain in their lives and will likely suffer financially because of it.
The practitioners at Optimal Life Natural Medicine have a strong interest in the prevention of back pain and musculo-skeletal joint dysfunction, proprioceptive dysfunction as well as effectively and quickly resolving pain and joint issues when they have arisen.
We use biomechanical assessment tools such as motion guidance lasers [6] , gait assessment a force plates, balance track force plate (which can also assess falls risk) along with physical neurologic and orthopaedic exams to determine a patient’s joint and muscle function as well as part of their whole-body state of neurological integration.
We can then design an intervention or rehabilitation program based upon our findings and objectively measure improvement throughout the process.
The Anatomy of Pain
The pelvis forms the foundational support of the human skeleton. It supports the upper body right up to the skull, and enables us to transfer our weight to our legs. The spine holds our body upright, supports all of our organs and provides anchor points for our muscles. It also protects our delicate nervous system. The nervous system controls our body, and can only function normally when our structures are balanced and our pelvis is stable.
In more technical terms, restoration or maintenance of health is aided through specialised integrated procedures including functional chiropractic neurorehabilitation and biomechanics, nutrition, and soft tissue techniques. The techniques utilised in our office promote optimal innate healing mechanics for the spine, pelvis, cranium, organs, extremities, nervous system, brain and muscles. These techniques promote balance, neurological integrity and integrated function of the organ structure and neurological mechanism[7].
The Three Categories
The category system of diagnosis and analysis was developed by Dr De Jarnette. It provides your chiropractor with a logical, balanced approach to assess your back pain leading to the most appropriate treatment approach for you. Your body will adapt to misalignments. This adaption or a failure to adapt produces different “categories”, which may be progressive. They can start off as an adaptation that is pain free but over time the failure to restore correct joint position and function can lead to pain.
Category Two – Sprain of the pelvis
Category Two happens when ligaments that hold the sacroiliac joint are stretched or sprained, allowing the joint surfaces to separate. This disturbs the body’s balance, nervous system and our spine right up to our shoulders and neck and also our cranial system. The Category Two pelvic sprain can lead to pain in areas distant to the low back and pelvis including the jaw, shoulder and arm as well as headaches.
To correct the Category Two, blocks are placed in specific patterns under the pelvis (in a supine position) and the weight of the body helps reposition the sacroiliac joints for healing.
Category Three – Lower back, discs and nerves
Between each of the spinal vertebrae is a disc. These discs act as shock absorbers as well as spacers between the bones. When our bodies work correctly, the discs allow enough space between the spinal bones for delicate nerves to exit. When our nervous system is unable to find correct balance and must adapt a structural compensation pose, these spaces can become compromised by an alteration to the disc, which may irritate the nerves or start inflammatory cycles leading to further pain and dysfunction.
Correction of Category Three
Category Three occurs when the low back can no longer tolerate the physical stressors placed on it. This can be a sudden one-off event such as a lift, or it can be a pre-existing weakness that is aggravated. Often Category Three produces pain in the low back and sometimes pain radiates down a leg as sciatica. Correction involves using blocks under the pelvis in a specific direction and position. Your weight and breathing help to balance the low back and take the pressure or irritation off the nerve. This allows the body to heal.
Our Goal is to help you lead a healthier more optimal life.
Come in and get assessed to see if we may be able to help before your body makes you aware of the problems you already have.
Back pain and joint pain are not something you have to suffer with.
[1] http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/81/9/Ehrlich.pdf
[2] https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2009/190/9/back-pain-national-health-priority-area-australia
[3] http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2093736
[4] http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/81/9/Ehrlich.pdf
[5] http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/036
[6] https://www.motionguidance.com/pages/how-it-works
[7] http://www.soto.net.au/A-patients-guide-to-the-practice-of-SOT
Image Credit: https://www.musculacao.net/hernia-discal/
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