Back pain influences many people, and can inhibit their daily functions and making normal life nearly impossible. Chiropractors and physiotherapists are there to help treat these conditions which include disc trouble, sciatica, and muscle spasm. The chiropractors and physiotherapists a use technique called spinal manipulation to treat chronic back pain.
The spinal column runs from the head to the hips and involves other joints such as the shoulders, and all these can be affected by extreme back pain. For this reason, spinal manipulation includes the treatment of the head, neck, shoulders, back and hips to make sure everything is covered. Spinal manipulation can be a number of things: massage; a slow pressing motion with twisting; or a more rapid movement with lots of pressure. The treatment can be quite intense and it is important to pre-treat the muscles using heat, ultrasound or electrical current to warm up the area first.
Spinal manipulation is often used after home treatment has been tried: heat, massage and anti-inflammatory medication. If this doesn’t work, then people seek out the treatment of chiropractors and physiotherapists where spinal manipulation is implemented. It may not be any better at treating the condition than home treatment does, and as with everything, it may work for some people and not for others. Spinal manipulation is used in combination with other forms of treatment and cannot be relied on individually.
Although spinal manipulation is effective and considered a safe treatment, there are contraindications to the treatment. Any kind of numbness or increased pain down the legs or into the arm is an indication that treatment needs to be stopped and the condition needs to be investigated further with the help of a doctor or specialist. A usual treatment period is about two to three weeks long for acute back pain, but often the chiropractor or physiotherapist will use their discretion. Post-treatment is important to ensure the long term benefits and should include exercises to make sure the condition does not reoccur.
Consider home treatment with the use of ice, heat and anti-inflammatory medication to try relieve the pain first before receiving spinal manipulation. Consider all your options and speak to a physiotherapist or chiropractor about what the process involves before deciding on spinal manipulation.
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