The gold standard in lower back pain care used to be NSAIDs. However, studies recently revealed that these pain relievers weren’t really helping patients on a long-term basis. In fact, they were causing side effects that grew worse with long-time usage. Thus, the American College of Physicians updated the guidelines. What are doctors presently recommending for lower back pain, and what does this trend toward non-invasive care mean?

4 Recommendations for Lower Back Pain

The new guidelines offer 4 ways to receive natural back pain relief. These are:

1. Heat – Ice is great for injuries that cause inflammation, but heat can be better for persistent pain because it increases blood flow.
2. Massage – Time to make that appointment with a masseuse. Relaxing the muscles can help relieve pain.
3. Acupuncture – This unique far eastern approach isn’t for every, but if you don’t mind the idea of all those tiny needles, it may provide the relief you need.
4. Chiropractic – Spinal manipulation to relieve subluxations can help the soft tissue around the spine to heal and pinched nerves to be relieved.

A Specific form of Chiropractic for Lower Back Care

When you think of chiropractic for the lower back, you’re probably expecting to hear about a lumbar specialist. However, what we’d like to introduce you to is upper cervical chiropractic, which focuses on the top two vertebrae in the neck. What do misalignments in this location have to do with the rest of the spine?  

When the C1 and C2 misalign, the rest of the spine goes through changes in order to keep the head level. These changes can result in pain where the greatest shifts occur. This is often in the lower back. Changes in the spine and surrounding soft tissue may lead to sciatica and other chronic conditions. Thus, correcting the upper cervical misalignment is usually the first step in finding long-term relief as this can help to reverse the changes.

To learn more about how upper cervical chiropractic can help patients with lower back pain, contact a practitioner near you and schedule an examination.

to schedule a consultation today.