Revive Medical Center has some of the best chiropractors in the country on our staff. We treat back injuries every day, restoring our patients’ quality of life. Your back, or spine, is more delicate than it might seem, and it’s easy to strain and injure it during your daily activities, especially if you work in a job with constant lifting or enjoy contact sports. Let’s talk about common back injuries, what their symptoms are, and the common treatments designed to relieve their pain and stiffness.
1. Back Strain
The most common back injury type, you can strain your back slowly or suddenly. Slow back strains are generally caused by repetitive motion, such as working in a job that requires constant lifting and/or turning. Acute (sudden) back strain can happen if you lift something that is too heavy or engage in an exercise your body is not used to. Back strain is a muscle or tendon pull, and you might hear your back pop, have a cramp or muscle spasm, find it hard to move, or feel sudden or constant pain. Treatments include rest, ice, OTC pain relievers, and chiropractic adjustment to relieve the pressure.
2. Herniated Discs
If you strain your back enough, you might end up with a herniated disc. Your spine is made up of 29 vertebrae that have intervertebral fibrocartilage (discs) in between them to cushion them. The discs are like jelly donuts; they have soft centers and denser exteriors. A herniated or bulging disc, as it is also called, happens when the “jelly” inside the disc pushes through the dense exterior. This causes painful nerve compression, which can radiate down the arms or legs and create numbness, tingling, and weakness. A chiropractor can relieve the pressure between the vertebrae to heal the disc.
3. Fractured Vertebrae
A spine fracture is called a compression fracture. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of spine compression fractures. As you get older, your vertebrae weaken and crack. This causes chronic back pain, takes inches off your height, and affects your posture. You can also fracture your vertebrae in an automobile accident, falling injury, or sports injury among other trauma. If the injury is bad enough to affect the spinal cord, the series of nerves that run through your spine, you might become partially or fully paralyzed. Medicine to treat osteoporosis, physical therapy, and chiropractic care can help spinal compression in most cases.
If you suffer from chronic back pain and/or any of the other symptoms of back injuries listed above, give us a call here at Revive Medical Center. We are Lawrenceville, Georgia’s top chiropractic center.
