CONVINCED YOU WERE BORN WITH A BAD BACK??

Good news, that is not always the case! Every day more and more people are attending chiropractic clinics to seek long lasting relief and resolution to pain they believed was ‘normal’ or never going to subside. The recent increases in people seeking chiropractic care is because with the latest research and techniques, chiropractors are now approaching healthcare from a prevention type perspective, aiding in prevention of further dysfunction and/or injuries.

What does this mean for your achy back??

Let’s start with an analogy (as they are so awesome), everyone knows how important having good tyre alignment is for preserving the life of your tyres; with good alignment your tyres aren’t going to wear as fast and the impact from the road is less. 

Let’s apply this to the spine. Firstly, it is important to understand that the spine is compiled of multiple joints all stacked up working together to provide support and movement. Now visualize each of your spinal joints gliding past each other when you’re moving. If the spine is in good alignment, the motion will be a smooth glide causing little inflammation and therefore minimal wear and tear. If your spine is not in good alignment, the motion will be more jagged, leading to high friction between the joints causing inflammation. Can you can now imagine how that’s going to cause more and more inflammation with repetitive use and activities of daily living? This then causes a cascading effect on other structures surrounding the spine. The muscles tighten around the area to try and protect the joint, not to mention the nerve which exits in the spinal cord very close to the joint may become irritated. This generally leads to more muscle tightness and over long periods can lead to a muscle imbalance. Stiffness usually sets in as the first symptom due to the muscles being unable to release and relax as they are in a protective state. This causes more irritation to the joint as it can’t move freely. 

Now you may feel like if it’s a muscle issue then why don’t we just get a massage or some Physiotherapy? Yes that is a great option, but for this type of condition it usually will only provide relief for the short term. If the underlying poor joint alignment isn’t corrected, the joint will remain inflamed and the muscles will tighten up around the area again, and so on and so forth.

Now, I’m not saying we don’t need physio and massage, we definitely do, but the most recent research suggests that holistic health care, with combined therapies including chiropractic adjustments has the most benefit for long-term relief. Therapies such as physio, exercise physiology and massage assist the muscles to repair and relax, allowing the chiropractic adjustments to have a longer lasting effect. Relief from that “bad back”, not to mention the health improvement of the joint, nerve and muscle leaves you to embrace your day free from tightness, tenderness and discomfort.

Call the Karrinyup Wellness Centre on 9341 3020 and book a Complimentary Spinal Assessment to discuss any health concerns you may have.

Dr Shinae Brownrigg

May 29, 2017 By Dr Shinae Brownrigg

B.Sc. (Chiro), B.Chiro DOCTOR OF CHIROPRACTIC

Dr Shinae is all about balance in life and helping others to achieve their health goals. She has a huge desire to learn more so she can share her knowledge with those around her. She loves to educate the public about natural health care options as well as how to main your spine so you can get the most out of your retirement years in the future. Dr Shinae believes prevention is always better than a cure and that it is very difficult to achieve the same level of activity with an injured or degenerate spine.