Lower Back Pain Treatment in Midtown East, NY
Low back pain affects people of every age. It generally worsens in frequency, duration, and intensity as we age. Low back pain is so common because it’s intimately linked to posture and ergonomics. As a modern society, we tend not to move as much as we used to and sit in unnatural postures frequently. Some experts have even stated that “sitting is to the spine as sugar is to the teeth” and “sitting is the new smoking.”
Your body is smart. Low back pain is how your body communicates that there’s a problem. Similar to the pain you feel when you put your hand on a hot stove. The big difference is that if you kept your hand on the hot stove, the pain would keep getting worse, but low back pain typically cycles in and out even if the problem has not been addressed. Your body takes these opportunities to experience pain sensations to alert you of an underlying problem. If we take heed of the situation and figure out where it’s coming from and how to correct it, then we can resolve the actual problem, and your lower back pain won’t come back.
There’s a big difference between treating the pain and treating the underlying problem. Unfortunately, most efforts from conventional pharmaceuticals and physical therapists focus on treating your pain. We take a different approach, addressing the actual problem so you can get lasting long-term results.
The cause of low back pain is a weakening of its integral structure, allowing the spine to slip into an abnormal posture. This abnormal posture called a “subluxation,” puts stress on your delicate nerves and causes them to lose their ability to function normally and keep the body healthy. Fortunately, the nerve has a protective mechanism, which we know as pain.
When your nerve is under stress, it sends a red alert signal to you in the form of pain. If you pay attention to your body, you can use pain as the great ally it was intended to be. By correcting the cause, we can get the pain to go away and stay away. This breaks the frustrating cycle of episodes of severe pain and times of false security that the pain has gone away while we are simply waiting for the next episode.
Patients continuously tell us about decreasing activity levels to avoid these frequent flare-ups. They stop participating in sports and activities; they stop lifting their children and grandchildren; they stop the manual activities they love, like gardening, landscaping, and working out. However, that is avoiding the issue rather than correcting it.
Let’s take a moment to understand the lower back anatomy. Our lower spinal structure is a delicate balance of muscles, ligaments, joints, and discs, contributing to our upright posture. When the posture is in an anatomically optimal position, the all-important and delicate nerves are protected. The structure of the spine has three main focuses: it keeps us upright, allows us to move, and protects the nervous system.
Research tells us that the longer the low back pain is allowed to continue untreated, the worse the actual problem gets. It’s also very common for episodes of low back pain to resolve symptomatically without the cause being corrected. We must know the difference between pain and the actual problem. The low back problem, unaddressed goes on continuously but the low back pain ebs and flows where we can mistake that when the low back pain has gone away the problem has improved. With each successive cycle of pain, the duration, intensity and frequency typically worsen.
$99 New Patient Special
We sit knee-to-knee for a detailed consultation on your primary concern to get an overall understanding of your health. We’ll assess your neurology, posture, and biomechanics during our thorough spinal discovery examination. X-rays may be taken to further identify the cause of your health issue.
How Our Lower Back Pain Care Plan Works
1. Freedom of Knowledge
Even in the worst of circumstances, it helps patients to know exactly what is going on. Through one-on-one doctor patient reports and group education lectures we empower our patients with the knowledge and understanding of their specific problem.
2. Freedom of Choice
The fact that you didn’t know you are supposed to care for your spine from birth is not your fault, but it is your responsibility. OUR responsibility is to guide you in the pathway to health. It’s your choice to decide how you want to participate in your health care.
3. Freedom of Health
Your health is your responsibility. Our job is to share our findings with you and lead and encourage you in the pathway to health. It’s your choice to decide how you want to participate in your health care and how you want to show up in life.
How We Treat Low Back Pain at Rowe Chiropractic in Midtown East, NY
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
Through careful examination, we evaluate your posture and spine function to ensure it’s in the correct position, has the correct motion flexibility, and has great balance and strength, which are all needed for the ideal protection of the delicate spinal nerves.
Research has revealed our ideal normal spinal structure which should be straight in the font and the side view the low back should have a normal shock-absorbing curve. When the spine is like this, the structure is strong, the posture is upright, and the delicate nerves are protected. From certain stresses, some sudden and some over time, traumas can misalign the spine, weakening their structure and putting stress on the delicate spinal nerves. Our expertise at Rowe Chiropractic is spinal mechanics.
Chiropractic BioPhysics and Low Back Pain Relief
Once we find the exact direction of your misalignment through physical exams, postural photographs (posture screens), and specialized X-rays, we can create a perfect blueprint of the state of your spine. We then use specialized, proven techniques to realign your spine, thereby initiating the healing process and directing you toward true correction and lasting pain relief. You will experience a renewal of confidence in your body’s strength.
The specific techniques to correct your spinal misalignment subluxation are a combination of in-office and home techniques. In the office, we create a specific spinal adjustment for you based on your spinal misalignment and adjust it back to normal. We also teach you one-sided exercises to rebuild the balance and symmetrical strength to pull the spine into alignment. Research tells us that to change the shape of the spine, you must do traction for at least 10 minutes to “remodel” the discs and ligaments. All patients are instructed and participate in a home-rehab process by exercising the weak direction and using home traction units to further support the in-office correction. This amazing individualized in-office and home care program realigns the spine, gets the stress off the nerves, and allows the spine to heal naturally, giving us increased health and lasting pain relief we all seek.
Common Causes of Low Back Pain in Midtown East, NY
Stress, either studden or over time, can cause the individual bones (vertebrae), or whole curves of the spine, to shift out of place and irritate nerves. These misalignments, or subluxations, in our posture have a negative impact on nerve function.
Lower back pain is caused by spinal misalignments and nerve pressure, which can be commonly linked to other health problems. This may include stiffness, immobility, muscle atrophy, weakness, pain, leg numbness, leaky bladder, menstrual issues, prostate problems, and sexual dysfunction.
Poor Posture
Patients often ask me:
“Disc herniations, disc bulges, degenerated discs, arthritic spines, spinal stenosis… how can one doctor treat all these conditions?”
The answer is that all of these conditions have the same initial cause: an altered normal posture that puts stress on the tissues. If left uncorrected long enough, your tissues break down and degenerate. The good news is that if you rehabilitate your posture, your body’s self-healing powers can rebuild and repair the connective tissues. Of course, the longer your problem has been left unattended, the more damage occurs and the more difficult it is to maintain correction. But the amazing recuperative powers of your body are always waiting for us to release them by doing the necessary work we have to do to repair them and get long-term results.
Disc Injury and Low Back Pain
Your spinal discs separate one vertebrae from another. They are natural spacers that separate your vertebrae, allowing your spine to move freely. They also provide space for the delicate nerves to pass through to the body to communicate health and function. Your disc is best described as a fibrous pad with a ball-bearing in the center that the vertebrae tip over in normal mechanics. In normal situations, if your disc is in correct alignment, a disc could last for over 100 years. A normal disc is stronger than the bone itself, which we see in high-trauma injuries in young people where the bone breaks before the disc is injured.
Different stresses and traumas that cause spinal misalignment lead to day-to-day stress on the disc, causing the disc fibers to tear, further weakening the disc, and allowing the ball-bearing center to misalign, leading to disc bulging, commonly known as disc herniation. Depending on the direction of the bulge, your disc can push directly on the delicate nerve, interfering with normal nerve impulse and eliciting a pain signal. If your spine is not realigned and this condition is left unaddressed, your disc will further prematurely degenerate, leading to arthritic changes, spinal stenosis and disc rupture. This entire sequence of degeneration originates from unaddressed postural misalignments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Low Back Pain
When should I be worried about lower back pain?
Your body is smart. If you’re in pain, use that pain signal as a warning sign that there’s a problem which needs to be investigated.
What can I do to relieve my lower back pain in Midtown East, New York?
Everything starts with a thorough Discovery Exam. Schedule your examination today.
How do I know if my back pain is serious?
There’s always a reason behind the pain. Sometimes, the reason is more serious, and sometimes less serious. But it’s always a good idea to be proactive about your health and find out what’s going on.
What causes lower back pain?
The most common cause of low back pain is postural misalignments that cause nerve pressure.
How should I sleep with lower back pain?
Most patients find some relief on their side with their knees drawn up slightly and a soft pillow between their knees.
How do I tell if lower back pain is muscle or disc-related?
The Discovery Exam tells us exactly where the problem is coming from. We can differentiate whether it’s disc-related, muscle-related, or both (most common).
How does a slipped disc feel?
Unfortunately, a person could have a slipped disc for decades before they feel the first pain. But, when the pain comes, it can be quite severe, including: dull ache, sharp stabbing pain from the lower back into the buttocks and in the worst cases into the legs and feet.
Why won’t my lower back pain go away?
The main reason that low back pain doesn’t go away is that the root cause, which is the postural misalignment is not corrected. If you correct the cause, your body has the ability to heal.
Can a Chiropractor in Midtown East, NY, help with lower back pain?
Yes, we have dedicated the last 42 years of our practice to helping patients every day find lasting results for their lower back pain.
What is better for lower back pain: a chiropractor or a massage?
Chiropractic is the only technique that can correct the postural problems that are the root cause of your lower back pain.
When should I see a Chiropractor in Midtown East, NY, for lower back pain?
NOW. Sometimes patients will tell me “I’ll wait until I feel a bit better to get checked.” But, when they feel better they mistakenly think the problem is gone. Be good to your body and schedule your Discovery Exam to find out the real cause.
How can you tell if your spine is out of alignment?
Of course, general evaluations like looking in the mirror to see if your alignment is intact could give some information. The only way to be sure is to schedule your Discovery Exam for a thorough evaluation to determine if your spine is in normal alignment.
At Rowe Chiropractic Offices, we have put together the most comprehensive spinal postural corrective program to fix misalignments that cause lower back pain. We combine spinal adjusting, postural exercises, and other rehabilitation techniques to correct your spine. According to our research and clinical experience, we have identified non-surgical and non-drug solutions to treat your lower back pain that work.
Call (212) 486-8888 for more information or schedule your appointment today.
$99 New Patient Special
We sit knee-to-knee for a detailed consultation on your primary concern to get an overall understanding of your health. We’ll assess your neurology, posture, and biomechanics during our thorough spinal discovery examination. X-rays may be taken to further identify the cause of your health issue.
