What to Do About Back or Spine Issues

The human skeleton is designed from head to toe, literally, for a lifetime of bipedal movement, unique in the animal kingdom. Millions of years ago, our ancestors traded a lifestyle in trees for hunting game across the African plains, and that involved walking on two legs. This reflects in the modern human skeleton, which features an S-shaped spinal cord, an upright pelvis, long and tough leg bones, and arched feet, among other adaptations. This offers many advantages, though the human spine must spend a lifetime fighting gravity and may eventually start wearing out. Many people around the world today are dealing with chronic back pain disorders from their spine, muscles, or pinched nerves, and that includes many Americans as well. Serious spinal disorder treatment may be needed for extreme cases, such as surgery, but more minor spinal disorder treatment may be non-invasive and provide relief from back pain and stiffness.

On Back Pain in the United States

Health is a universal concern, and many studies and surveys are done to track what sort of health problems Americans face and how they treat those issues. This includes spinal disorder treatment as well, along with back pain and pinched nerves or limited mobility. The numbers show that around half of all working Americans admit to having lower back pain, and estimates say that around 80% of all Americans will experience back pain problems at some point in their lives. One in three women and one in four men may experience back pain, and this problem may cause chronic pain and stiffness and limit mobility. Back pain may lower a person’s quality of life and limit their capacity to do paying work or play sports, or even leave the house in more serious cases.

What is causing this chronic back pain? Simple old age is a common cause, since an elderly person has had a lifetime of fighting gravity while walking upright. This will wear out the spine and gradually compress it, and that may strain muscles, pinch nerves, and shorten the spine and cause the person to stoop somewhat. In younger adults, years of hard manual labor may put a lot of strain on the spine and muscles, and suffering an injury, such as in sports, may cause back issues as well. Meanwhile, many surveyed Americans report that they think ongoing, serious stress is causing their back pain. Pregnant women may also experience back pain as their pregnancy shifts and adds body weight during later stages of their pregnancy.

Spinal Disorder Treatment

Spinal disorders may treated after someone who suffers from back or spinal pain visits their private doctor or physician and reports their problem. From there, the doctor may recommend visiting chiropractors, and these medical professionals are known to use simple tools and even their bare hands to realign bones and muscles for treatment. This may relieve stress on joints, the spine, and nerves and clear up any cramps or pain. Many American who have visited a chiropractor report great satisfaction with their care and would go again if they needed to.

Another option is to visit a yoga studio, as yoga serves more purposes than relaxing the mind (although that’s also to be desired). Yoga is holistic, involving natural bends, stretches, and poses to relax the body and mind alike. A pained and distressed body is bound to cause ongoing distress and anxiety in the mind, and spinal disorder treatment may be possible this way. A doctor may recommend a local yoga studio, or the patient may find such a studio themselves online. Once the patient signs up for private lessons, they will be guided on how to bend and stretch their body to relieve pressure on joints, muscles, and nerves to eliminate pain and restore the patient’s full mobility and arcs of movement, no drugs or surgery needed.

At a hospital, an injury victim may also be guided on how to perform poses and stretches to naturally restore mobility, arcs of movement, strength, and relieve pain, too. The physical therapists on staff may offer stretch-test devices that the patient will pull on, and the readings measure the patient’s current strength and flexibility. This helps determine when the patient is fully treated.