An upper cervical chiropractor in Riverton gives back pain patients more than just a fighting chance. Back pain can be ever-present. It would be a real challenge to meet a person who never had back pain. Back pain is one of the primary causes why most people would visit their doctors or become forced to take a few days of absence from work.

Perhaps one of the real reasons people are so vulnerable to experiencing back pain is that the back is consists of many moving components. Your spine or backbone protects the spinal cord. The spine needs to be both flexible and robust enough to accommodate your various daily routines. Numerous tendons, muscles, and ligaments make up the body and are linked to the spine, thus providing both mobility and stability to your back. The back can sustain an injury as a result of repetitive motions over time, or frequently due to an accident or trauma.

COMMON RISK FACTORS OF BACK PAIN

An upper cervical chiropractor in Riverton can identify the risk factors that may influence you to develop back pain. Only one element is beyond our control, and that is age! However, the rest can become mitigated or even avoided with lifestyle changes and healthier choices. Here are the risk factors:

  • Age – the majority of people will start to experience their first back pain in their mid-30s or early 40s.
  • Not enough exercise – a person in poor physical shape has weak muscles; thus, becoming less capable of supporting the back.
  • Lifting something heavy improperly– using only your back to lift heavy objects can cause injury to your back. Properly lifting involves your legs, core, arms, and back to enable equal weight distribution to as many muscle groups as possible.
  • Sitting for prolonged periods – jobs that require extended hours of sitting (such as driving or office work), or living a sedentary lifestyle can put you at a higher risk for developing back pain.
  • Excess body weight – obesity or being overweight can place additional pressure and stress on the spinal joints and discs.
  • Pregnancy – weight gain throughout pregnancy also puts extra stress on the back and hips.
  • Injury – any of the components of your back are prone to injury from either overuse or an accident.  Ligaments and muscles can get strained, joints can suffer inflammation, and the discs can wear thin.
  • Smoking – tobacco smoking can hinder the discs that are in-between each vertebra in the back from absorbing the appropriate nutrients needed to remain healthy.

WHAT CAUSES BACK PAIN

Sometimes back pain is due to lifting something too heavy. When you wake up in the morning, a backache may also hit with no apparent cause. An upper cervical chiropractor in Riverton regularly helps patients find the cause of their back pain. Here is a list of common causes of back pain:

  • Muscle strain
  • Ligament sprain
  • Scoliosis
  • Muscle spasm
  • Arthritis – there are many types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the “wearing out” of spinal joints. As a result, it narrows the spinal canal and puts pressure on the nerves or spinal cord, which can be extremely painful.
  • Osteoporosis – when the bones lose their high density, they become brittle, which often leads to compression fractures.
  • Underlying medical conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis or fibromyalgia
  • Spinal misalignments (or subluxations)
  • Disc degeneration

Odds are, your back pain alone is not causing any danger. However, there are certain major red flags you should know. Please see your doctor immediately if you experience back pain combined with any of the following:

  • Difficulty urinating or changes in your regular bowel habits
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • A severe accident that might potentially cause a spinal fracture
  • Fever

YOUR BACK PAIN’S ROOT CAUSE IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

When you experience excruciating back pain, your first reaction would be to put something on your back to relieve the pain. You would probably not even consider the neck as a possible source of your aches and pains. There is a high chance that your neck is not even bothering you at all. However, because of the design and function of the spine, a tiny misalignment of the topmost vertebrae in the neck can be the possible root cause of your back pain.

UNDERSTANDING HOW SOME BACK PAINS OCCUR

Your atlas (C1) and axis (C2) vertebrae are both in the uppermost area of your upper cervical spine or the neck. They are different from the other bones in your spine. These two topmost vertebrae have two unique functions. The first function is to bear the weight of the head. The second one is to provide the head’s flexibility or the ability to move in many different directions.

The atlas or axis can misalign for many reasons. The most commonly known causes of misalignment include the following:

  • Car accident
  • Whiplash
  • Sporting accident
  • Slipping and falling
  • Normal wear and tear
  • Neck or head trauma

When this tiny misalignment happens, it may not give you any pain or discomfort. However, over time, the rest of your spine becomes forced to compensate for a head that is no longer in a neutral position over the rest of your body.

Due to an atlas or axis misalignment, the shoulders would compensate and become uneven from left to right. As a result, this will put excess strain and stress on your mid-back. Then, your hips will also begin to compensate, and you may now start to favor one side over the other. Finally, this will start affecting your lower back and may even irritate the sciatic nerve.

A NATURAL BACK PAIN RELIEVER YOU MUST CONSIDER

Instead of chasing around symptoms and adjusting only the painful areas, upper cervical chiropractic care’s goal is to deal with the underlying cause of the issue. In many back pain problems, the root cause, as outlined above, can be seen in the upper cervical spine or the neck.

At Balanced Chiropractic in Riverton, Utah we will take care of your needs. Before we can adjust any of our patients, we go through a very detailed and accurate procedure. We will take precise measurements of the misalignment and determine how severe it is.  This way we will know what exactly it will take to restore perfect alignment.

One of the best parts about upper cervical chiropractic care is that our adjustments are in place for as long as possible, which is crucial for achieving lasting relief. Finally, the body receives the right conditions and time to properly and ultimately heal. Thus, many of our satisfied patients report a significant reduction or complete resolution of their back pain.

Call us at 801-477-7222 or answer our online form to contact get help with your back pain.

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