Radiculitis, osteochondrosis, lumbalgia, sciatica, cervicalgia, thoracalgia... Medical terms - many, and one symptom - back pain. Back pain, neck pain, pain under shoulder blades... the People who are suffering from them, the legions.
According to the world health organization (who), low back pain suffer 2/3 of the population of the globe. Studies show that people in the age of 35-45 years, the frequency of occurrence of back pain is to 66.3%. While 25% of these people back pain affect working capacity and even lower social status.
Approach to the treatment of back pain in classical medicine
Classical medicine (allopathy) has developed many ways to treat back pain: medication, physiotherapy, chiropractic, surgical, etc. But they all, in General, are divided into two broad categories. Means of the first group have simply removed the symptom is pain, spasm and inflammation.
Methods of the second group work with individual structures of the body in the first place, with different parts of the spine. After all, the main causes of back pain is commonly recognized abnormalities of the vertebrae dystrophic-degenerative diseases of the spine or weakness of the muscular system. But even the Orthodox doctors recognize the severity of back pain in most cases is not directly associated with the degree of development of diseases of the spine.
According to statistics, the treatment of the spine as the root cause of pain in the back in 50% of cases or does not give the results or brings only temporary relief.
Why the measures are ineffective? Doctors-osteopaths claim that in these cases, the cause of suffering lies not in the spine. And back pain it is easy to get rid of if properly diagnose.
The osteopathic approach to treating back pain
Osteopathy preaches a holistic approach, not limited to the consideration of individual symptoms or specific body parts. The human body is one, and the back may hurt for a reason completely unrelated to the condition of the bone tissue. It can be old injuries, surgeries, diseases of internal organs, infection, inflammation, chronic stress, energy imbalance, lifestyle and professional overload. And often there are several factors.
Common causes of the disease:
- In children back pain most likely to occur or from the moment of birth - birth trauma, or later as a result of a fall on the sacrum, on the coccyx during games or sporting events. It is difficult for parents to notice this injury because serious symptoms come much later when the child doesn't remember the fall.
- In adolescence, back pain can occur as a result of past trauma on the background of hormonal changes. In adolescence there are some serious leaps of growth, not all structures of the body have time to adjust for them. This may occur twisting of the body, which affects the spine, however, neither the parents nor the child need not even guess.
- Women under 40 years usually suffer from back pain more often is related to pregnancy and childbirth. There is a powerful restructuring of the body, both hormonal and mechanical: it expands the rib cage, the diaphragm descends, moves the internal organs. During childbirth changes the position and angle of the sacrum, the coccyx. Soften the joints, ligaments. And not always all these structures are then independently returned to its original position.
- Men after 40 years , too, begin to complain of pain in the back. By this time in the body usually are age-related changes of the entire musculo-ligamentous corset, and childhood trauma added to the trauma adults, and even domestic situations - stress, surgery. Often appear and diseases of the internal organs, which also create tension in the body, alter its balance.
In all these cases of back pain are connected not only with the bony skeleton but also the muscles, ligaments, internal organs, blood circulation, nervous system. Only adjusted the spine, adapts to changes and compensates for them while you can. As a rule, the true cause of the violations is absolutely not there where it hurts. And the task of the physician to find the cause, to put the correct diagnosis.
Osteopathic treatments of back pain
In determining the causes that conducted to the process of the disease, taking into account the anatomical characteristics of a person, clarified the details of the birth (he was born, or through artificial methods) as the period from birth to one year, as he spent his childhood, did he sport. All of these factors could affect the development of the disease.
Then with the help of special techniques, sensitive hands of a specialist he examined the painful part. Identifies areas of tension and spasms that create "pull" - pull structure of the body, including the vertebrae, aside from the natural position. With the help of special techniques osteopaths can remove these stresses, relieve spasms.
It is proved that with low back pain observed various biomechanical disorders in the so-called postural system of the body. She is responsible for the vertical position of the body, which hold when walking, and even in terms of earth's gravity, is not easy.
To the postural system includes nerves, muscles, ligaments, components of the skeleton, the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear, the organs of vision, the receptors of the foot soles - all that determines the position of the body in space. The failure of a component of the system violates a delicate balance, and this is an unnatural state will result in the development of back pain.
Osteopath, which owns the methods of diagnosis of the postural system able to identify violations and to eliminate them. Therefore, osteopathic techniques to effectively restore mobility, balance and equilibrium of the body, relieving back pain, when treatment of the individual reasons does not help.
Studies of the effectiveness of osteopathy in the treatment of back pain
Institutions of Saint-Petersburg conducted a study of 140 patients with the diagnosis of "disease of the musculoskeletal system and degenerative disc disease of the spine." All were noted back pain and limitation of motion. The control group received conventional drug therapy: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants. The main group received osteopathic treatment. Age and disease severity groups did not differ.
The results of treatment were assessed as good by 55% of the patients of the study (osteopathic) group (50% in the control), satisfactory - 34% of patients in both groups. At the same time in the osteopathic group of patients have improved balance, increased speed and amplitude of free movement.
In other words, in most cases, osteopathy can be a safe alternative pharmacological treatments of back pain.
Tips chiropractor
In many cases, the occurrence of back pain can be prevented. To do this is to follow a few simple guidelines.
- If the child strongly hit, fell, was injured, must as soon as possible to conduct a survey, if necessary, an x-ray. Makes sense to undergo a preventive examination by a specialist . Even if the pain quickly passed, the consequences of injury may occur at older ages.
- Teenagers in the period of intensive growth and restructuring of the hormonal system should see an orthopedist or therapist as a preventive measure. Need to check his posture, the stance, the position of the pelvis. At the slightest violations is to take a course of osteopathic correction and then growth and development will occur harmoniously. This will significantly reduce the risk of back disorders in the future.
- Postpartum women just need recovery. Exercises physical therapy will help to remove spasms, to improve the situation of certain muscles. Even if there is no expressed complaints during the preventive examination the osteopath may choose an individual set of exercises.