Healthy News June 2021

Back pain patients come to Satterwhite Chiropractic with all different types issues. Some walk better than others. Some have stronger muscles than others. Some are more prone to depression than others. Your Oxford chiropractor knows this and meets each back pain patient where s/he is and examines each patient to discover the difference(s) that make all the difference when designing an alleviating chiropractic treatment plan. Assessments like the 6-minute walk test that evaluates the distance walked in 6 minutes and the TUG (‘time up to go’ from a seated position) test can be quite informative of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in degenerative lumbar spine patients. Both may be triggered by back pain. (1) Back muscles that turn weak and fatty (like the multifidus muscle tends to do) signify issues with inflammatory and regeneration processes. (Back surgeons don’t like this as a poorer surgical outcome is likely.) (2) Chiropractors get this and encourage gentle exercise for these back muscles as a component of the treatment plan to prevent recurrent back pain that some low back disc degeneration patients endure. A recent study explained that those who tend to experience recurrent back pain were found to move differently, more carefully, likely to evade pain. Recurrent back pain patients also experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression, and disability along with a lower quality of life. (3) Your Oxford chiropractor embraces all back pain sufferers with all their issues. Your chiropractor teams up with with each one during the current back pain episode and beyond to control the back pain (emotional, physical and mental aspects), so it doesn’t control them.