What is Chronic Back Pain?
Chronic back pain is an umbrella term for back pain lasting longer than 12 weeks. There are a wide range of possible causes for back pain, ranging from muscle strain, arthritis, or conditions like sciatica. Another, often overlooked, cause of chronic back pain is untreated vertebral misalignments in the upper cervical spine.
Most individuals will experience some form of back pain throughout their lives. When back pain occurs, it is important to treat and manage it correctly to prevent it from morphing into chronic, long-lasting pain. If you suffer back pain or chronic back pain, consider incorporating the following practices into your everyday routine.
Five Tips for Managing Chronic Back Pain
1. Sleeping on a Supportive Mattress
Given how much time we spend in bed, it should come as no surprise that an uncomfortable mattress is one of the most common triggers for back pain. Investing in a good quality mattress will ensure that your spinal column remains in alignment and is well supported during sleep. Medium-firm mattresses are believed to be the most beneficial for individuals suffering from chronic back pain, however, be sure to research and try your mattress before purchasing.
2. Stretching and Mobility Exercises
Maintaining range of motion in the back, hips, and core is crucial for minimizing back pain. Stretching and mobility exercises can reduce muscle tension, increase blood flow, improve posture, and strengthen the muscles of the back. Collectively, this will allow for greater flexion and rotation across the spinal column and back, resulting in less pain with everyday movement.
3. Frequent Exercise
Like stretching and mobility, frequent exercise is important in preventing or managing chronic back pain. Understandably, exercising is often the last thing we want to do when our back is feeling sore. To help ease back pain, opt for low-impact exercises like swimming or body weight exercises; this kind of activity will help to build muscle strength without straining your back. Avoid heavy weightlifting exercises like deadlifts until you get the all clear from your chiropractor.
4. Anti-inflammatory Diet
Inflammation is a natural process in the body that occurs in response to injury. However, when the condition persists, such as in the case of chronic back pain, inflammation can become a chronic problem. This can exacerbate the pain and create a vicious cycle. In order to break this cycle, it is important to incorporate anti-inflammatory foods into your diet. These foods can help combat inflammation, which may be contributing to back pain. Whole grains, fatty fish, and vegetables are all excellent sources of anti-inflammatory nutrients that can promote healing and reduce inflammation in the body. By including these foods in your diet, you may be able to alleviate your back pain and improve your overall health.
5. Upper Cervical Chiropractic Treatment
It’s easy to forget that strains or injuries in other parts of the body can present as back pain. Treating chronic back pain should begin with finding, diagnosing, and treating the underlying injury or condition that is causing the pain. If an upper cervical misalignment is causing your chronic back pain, an upper cervical chiropractor can offer you relief.
How We Treat Chronic Back Pain
Upper cervical chiropractic care is an effective and gentle method for treating chronic back pain. Dr. Bejian Shamloo and the team at Upper Spine Knoxville use upper cervical chiropractic care to treat back pain at the cause rather than simply managing the secondary symptoms.
Before your chiropractic treatment begins, Dr. Shamloo will use a series of advanced diagnostic tests to pinpoint the location of any misalignments in the upper cervical spine. Using tools like infrared thermography and CBCT scanning, Dr. Shamloo can create a comprehensive map of your upper cervical spine, improving diagnosis accuracy and allowing for more precise treatment planning.
If a misalignment is detected, Dr. Shamloo will perform a series of upper cervical chiropractic correction techniques to coax the vertebrae back into natural alignment. Once the upper cervical spine has been restored, the rest of the spinal column will return to regular alignment and any pressure or strain on the surrounding musculature will ease, thereby alleviating both the frequency and severity of back pain episodes.
If you’re suffering from chronic back pain, Dr. Shamloo is here to help. Dr. Shamloo provides patients with upper cervical chiropractic treatments in Knoxville, Alcoa, Maryville, Farragut, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Sevierville, Lenoir City, Karns, Hardin Valley, Powell, Halls, and Fountain City in Tennessee, as well as the surrounding areas.