Do You Have Back Pain in Milford CT?

Did you know that 80 percent of us suffer from back pain at some point or other? It's like belonging to an extraordinarily large club that nobody wants to join. If you're tired of struggling your way through daily life due to crippling back pain, you need to pursue safe, non-surgical relief here at Menta Chiropractic in Milford CT. We can provide chiropractic adjustment and other services to help the underlying cause of your back pain, restoring function and letting you live life on your own terms again.

Your Aching Back: An Explanation

Back pain can attack you for all sorts of reasons. Some of the most obvious and dramatic examples involve acute back pain due to injuries. An auto accident, sports injury, or slip-and-fall incident at work can dislodge spinal vertebrae, stretch soft tissues, and herniated discs. A misguided effort to lift a heavy object may strain the lower back muscles, causing acute pain and stiffness. But you can also suffer from a variety of chronic back pain conditions. Examples of chronic back include:

• Arthritis that afflicts the facet joints of the spine
• Bulging/herniated discs that push their way onto nearby nerve roots, causing impingement and pain
• Obesity and pregnancy, which increase the load on vertebral discs and back muscles
• Weak, easily fatigued back muscles (which may also promote poor posture)
• Awkward workplace ergonomics that force you to twist or bend your back constantly

Chiropractic Techniques for Relieving Back Pain

Back pain sufferers often worry that their only options for relief consist of heavy painkillers or invasive surgical procedures. Fortunately, most of them are wrong. It's very likely that you can enjoy substantial relief from your back pain through non-invasive measures. Our chiropractor, Dr. Menta, can diagnose the root cause of your pain. By treating this root cause, we can remove the pain at its source instead of simply anesthetizing it temporarily, as painkillers do. We then prescribe a mix of natural treatments to help you eliminate or manage your condition. Your back may benefit from:

• Chiropractic adjustments that correct your vertebral alignment, relieve nerve compression, and increase flexibility
• Corrective exercises to improve your back muscle strength, lengthen tight tissues, and rehabilitate injuries
• Lifestyle changes, including dietary changes as needed to help you shed extra pounds
• Periodic posture checks to make sure your newly aligned back retains its balance

Contact the Chiropractor Milford CT Trusts for Back Pain Relief

Back Pain in Milford CT

So what is the cause of back pain? The number of injuries, misalignments, and conditions that cause back pain seems endless. Due to the complex structure of the back that is required to absorb stress while permitting movement, many elements of this structure such as tendons, ligaments, discs, muscles, and bones can become irritated or damaged resulting in pain. Sometimes it is severe trauma, such as a car accident, that can result in back pain and other times it is minor repetitive stress that causes the most damage. Therefore, you may not be able to recall any particular event that caused the onset of your pain. In addition to all of these possibilities, physical injury is not always the primary cause. Fortunately, our doctors at Menta Chiropractic, LLC in Milford CT have many years of education and experience to determine the correct diagnosis and direct you to the most appropriate line of care. Without an accurate diagnosis and treatment, even the most minor conditions can develop into serious lifelong conditions.

As mentioned previously, there is a multitude of causes for back pain, however, some of them are more common than others. The following are some of the most common causes of lower back pain that are seen and treated at Menta Chiropractic, LLC.

Disc Bulges or Herniations:

One of the most common and painful causes of back pain in Milford CT is a disc bulge or herniation. It is important to recognize that not all disc bulges or herniations result in pain. It has been found through MRI studies of numerous patients that as much as 37% of the American population has a disc bulge or herniation and the vast majority of them are experiencing no pain or other related symptoms. Unfortunately, the people who are experiencing pain often describe it as severe and intense. The type of pain that is experienced due to a disc herniation depends on the type and position of the herniation. If the damaged disc is irritating a surrounding nerve, shooting pain and weakness into the legs may develop. The discomfort is often described as stabbing and lightning-like. To understand how a disc herniation develops, it is best to think of the disc as a jelly doughnut. If the outer edges of the doughnut (disc) are damaged over time, most typically from wear and tear, the jelly in the middle of the disc can escape causing damage to surrounding structures. Once this process has completed it is often very difficult to reverse. However, chiropractic care has been shown to prevent the advancement of herniation and provide relief from the associated pain.

Subluxations:

Subluxations are one of the most commonly overlooked contributors to back pain. Subluxation is a medical term used to basically describe a vertebra in our spine that is out of position. When these subluxations occur, normal movement is disrupted, and a cascade of events (including pain) can occur. Subluxations can occur anywhere in the spine and there are almost an unlimited amount of factors that can cause them. Causes of subluxations range from physical trauma, stress, and toxins. Just as stress can contribute to the formation of an ulcer in the gut, it can also cause physiological changes in the body that result in the vertebrae in our back becoming out of position. The time frame to correct subluxations varies by the individual, but our chiropractors at Menta Chiropractic, LLC are one of the few professionals trained in their correction.

Muscular Sprains and Tendon or Ligament Strains:

Strains and sprains can occur in anyone, but they typically occur in people who begin tasks and work these structures in ways they are not used too. For example, a person who attempts to run a marathon during their first outing in the summer is likely to overwork these structures causing damage. Ligament sprains are typically caused by stretching the involved ligament past its limits, creating tears. Muscular strains are commonly caused by lifting too heavy of an object and twisting motions. Strains and sprains of the ligaments and muscles in the back can be extremely painful and is often accompanied by swelling and bruising of the surrounding area. Strains and sprains are intimately intertwined with the spine and therefore, typically respond well to chiropractic care. Our Menta Chiropractic, LLC is fully equipped to provide comprehensive treatment of these injuries.

Stress and Back Pain

People who are chronically under stress have a very different physiological profile then those who are not. When our bodies are under intense stress, it releases various stress hormones to adapt to the situation. Some of the adaptive mechanisms include; an elevated heart rate, an increased blood pressure, an altered immune system, decreased bone density, and decreased muscle mass. If this response is prolonged, elevated stress levels have been shown to contribute to the development of heart disease, digestive issues, depression, obesity, and back pain. All of the tension produced by the stress hormones causes a contraction of muscle tissue that produces “trigger points”. These trigger points can be extremely painful, but thankfully they are treated with a high success rate at our Menta Chiropractic, LLC.

Can Chiropractic Help my Back Pain?

When health care professionals, such as chiropractors, treat the cause of back pain rather than the symptoms, the treatment of back pain becomes less complicated. All of the above-stated causes of back pain have one factor in common, misalignments of the vertebrae in the spine. Luckily, our doctors at Menta Chiropractic, LLC are specially trained in their treatment. That is why multiple studies have shown chiropractic care to be the most effective form of treatment for the various causes of back pain. As with any condition, it is recommended to take a conservative, effective, and non-invasive approach to the treatment of back pain first. If you are suffering from back pain or have any further questions, please contact our Milford CT chiropractic office today to schedule a consultation.