Back is one of the most common issues a person can deal with. In fact, as much as 80% of people will cope with a back problem at one time or another. Of course, that back pain statistic may not really surprise you. However. There are undoubtedly several shocking things about back pain that the average person is unaware of. We’re going to look at some of the craziest back pain statistics. Then we will present a natural alternative to help you find long-term relief from back pain.
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We might have to chalk this one up to insurance issues that require seeing your GP first. Otherwise, it is hard to explain why 80% of people seek out a general practitioner over a subspecialist. That survey did count a general chiropractor as a general practitioner, so this may have inflated the number as well. However, even in the field of chiropractic, some practitioners deal with specific types of pain or parts of the spine.
The expense associated with back pain may be one of the biggest shocks. Of course, if you personally deal with back pain, you may know well the medical bills and loss of wages associated with a chronic ailment. However, the nation as a whole suffers greatly as well. In fact, there are $100 billion in losses annually due to back pain-related missed workdays. That is beside the $50 billion per year that gets spent on medical treatment.
One of the most shocking back pain statistics is that up to 80% of patients will feel better at some point and then experience a recurring episode. Back pain is a chronic health concern for about 7% of patients, so it is no wonder that this is among the most common causes of disability. Perhaps the issue relates to how many patients are never able to get to the bottom of the problem. It’s nice when back pain goes away, but if you don’t find out what is causing it and fix the problem, it’s basically just a matter of when the problem will arise again.
According to one report, as much as 90% of back pain patients will never know the cause of their pain. Either it seems to clear up on its own, or they use medication to cover the pain. Without a real diagnosis (back pain is just a symptom), it’s tough to find a long-lasting solution.
The most common treatment for back pain is medication. This can help a patient to deal with the pain while searching for the underlying cause of the pain and the ultimate solution. However, pain meds don’t treat the underlying cause, only the symptom. Also, many of these medications are highly addictive and can become gateway drugs that lead to illicit drug abuse.
You may think of back pain as a blue-collar condition, but most people in labor positions have education on how to lift correctly and instructions on how to handle loads that are too heavy for one person. Office workers, on the other hand, receive very little training in the importance of proper posture and few offices are set up correctly to prevent back pain from becoming a long-term issue.
According to one survey, a third of the responders were experiencing the effects in just about every aspect of daily life. For example, there were problems with sleep, performing normal daily activities, exercising, and working.
In one survey, close to one in three women said they had back pain recently, while only one in four men were experiencing the symptom. However, once back pain sets in, the effects seem to be heavier on men. One in three men had their job affected by back pain, while only one in five female patients reported the same impact.
One of the reasons it is tough to find the underlying cause of lower back pain is that very fewer general practitioners are going to check the upper cervical spine. It’s too far away. It can’t possibly have anything to do with your pain, right? Here is the connection.
The upper cervical spine balances the head. Therefore, even the slightest misalignment has the potential to cause significant issues. The body compensates for this by causing shifts throughout the spine and the surrounding soft tissue. These changes keep the head properly balanced. However, they can also lead to one shoulder being higher than the other, one hip being lower than the other, or a difference in leg length. As a result, lower back pain can become an issue.
When the upper cervical misalignment is corrected, the spine gets restored to a healthy state. This can remove the underlying cause of the pain and lead to long-term relief that you can’t find in a bottle of pain pills. Therefore, if you are suffering from back pain, you should see an upper cervical specific chiropractor. An examination may finally reveal the cause of your back pain and allow you to get the care you need.
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
