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Here Are Some Better Options to Try:

Visit a chiropractor. Your doctor of chiropractic will examine you to determine the underlying cause of your pain. Is it occupational, sports or injury-related; deconditioned and weak muscles and ligaments; spinal dysfunction from poor spinal alignment; disc disease or herniation; spinal malformations from birth; degenerative changes to the spine; or something even more significant such as pain referred from a more life-threatening condition?

If clinically warranted, your doctor might consider an X-ray, CT scan or MRI to look at the spine or soft-tissue structures to determine if any of these are causing or contributing to your back pain. Research suggests even smoking contributes to back pain, so your chiropractor might suggest you refrain from smoking. They also might suggest embarking on a weight-reduction program if you are overweight, and may outline a program of easy-to-do home conditioning exercises. Finally, a series of spinal manipulations (adjustments) may be recommended to help realign dysfunctional spinal vertebrae that often cause nerve irritation, muscle imbalance and inflammation around the weak areas of your spine.

Start an exercise program. This can help condition and strengthen muscles that might be weak and causing pain. All exercises should be done under the guidance and supervision of a trained professional and are not recommended during the initial or acute phase of back pain.

Have the right attitude. Many individuals develop an "invalid" attitude and become virtually incapacitated due to mental fear and an inability to cope with the pain. It's as important to have counseling in pain management attitudes as it is to remove the pain. Pain often is one of the body's best indicators. The body uses pain as a protective mechanism to prevent the individual from harming themselves or placing their body in a position which may cause more harm. The body does know best and paying more attention to the body is very important in recovery.

Your Best Choice

Your doctor of chiropractic, by education and training, will be able to differentiate the signs and symptoms of disc disease, disc herniations, osteoarthritic-type symptoms or referred pain from underlying serious organ disease. You should tell your doctor if you are having difficulty sleeping due to night sweats, pain, any changes in bowel or bladder control or function, or other changes affecting your normal daily patterns.

Following an initial examination and conservative approach involving many of these suggestions, you should begin to feel some change and relief. On each visit back to the chiropractor, be certain to write down questions you think of between visits. If your doctor of chiropractic does not see some improvement within two to four weeks, they might consider several options for you such as a re-evaluation, advanced diagnostic radiology or consultation with another specialist, such as neurologist, orthopedic doctor, neurosurgeon or physiatrist (pain management specialist). These doctors all work with very different approaches to deal with back pain.

The good news is that the vast majority of back pain patients can and do obtain relief with chiropractic manipulation and a generally conservative approach to help restore normal function to the spine and improve the conditioning of the entire body.

Under most circumstances, it's best to avoid self-treatment for too long because even simple bed rest has been proven to be harmful for back pain sufferers. While back pain can be debilitating and painful, extremely confusing and difficult to understand, and prevent even the most simple of life's daily pleasures, it can be, for the most part, helped with the proper approach and using the most conservative, safe and noninvasive form of care first. The majority of people can benefit quickly, and under the expert guidance of a doctor of chiropractic, return to a healthy, functioning lifestyle again.

Louis Sportelli, DC, graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and maintains a private practice in Palmerton, Pa.