Back pain, including low back pain, is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. Low back pain (also called lumbago), is a common musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs), affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. Back pain is just one of the many things that a Minneapolis chiropractor, such as Nokomis Chiropractic, deals with on a regular basis.

Musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, neck pain and arthritis affect more than 1.7 billion people worldwide and have a greater impact on the health of the world population (death and disability) than HIV/AIDS, tropical diseases including malaria, the forces of war and nature, and all neurological conditions combined.

The cost of treatment for patients with low back pain (LBP) has a major economic impact worldwide. In the United States, patients with musculoskeletal conditions incur total annual medical care costs of approximately $240 billion, of which $77 billion is related to musculoskeletal conditions. According to a 2006 review, total costs associated with LBP in the United States exceed $100 billion per year, two-thirds of which are a result of lost wages and reduced productivity.

MSDs (such as back injuries) are rarely caused by a single, well-defined incident. The root cause is often the specific incident coupled with years of repetitive micro-trauma. The repetitive nature of certain tasks increases the potential for MSDs - particularly awkward postures, bending and lifting excessive loads. Because of the slow and progressive onset, internal weakening and damage, the condition may be ignored until the symptoms become severe and lead to a disabling injury.

In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is more common.

There is a false idea out there that you can only injure your back through strenuous activities. In reality, even a small thing, such as poor posture at the computer, when repeated over a long period of time, can result in injury to the muscles of your back.

You don’t’ have to get into an auto accident or have a major trauma to experience bodily pain, specifically back pain. Simple everyday tasks can aggravate the body (i.e. gardening, raking, bending over, lifting, etc). It doesn’t matter if you are out of shape and overweight or an Olympic athlete, it is just the body’s natural way of responding to stress from repetitive micro-traumas. These tiny and most likely unnoticeable occurrences can cause more issues and pain over time than a large, one-time trauma.

Back pain also stems from joint misalignment in the spine, shoulders, neck and hips which can easily occur in everyday life. Because of the complexity of soft tissues (and bones) in this area, it is incredibly susceptible to injury, strain, overuse and thus PAIN!

Unfortunately, if you haven't already been affected by it, low back pain could be on the horizon for you.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is, when it comes to treating back pain, Chiropractors are the gurus of their profession. According to a study conducted by Ontario's Ministry of Health, "...for the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care coupled with exercise, is the most effective treatment around.”

The same study also found, "...injured workers ... diagnosed with low-back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by physicians."

According to the British Medical Research Council Study, spinal manipulation performed by chiropractors was found more effective than alternative treatments for low-back pain.

According to medical researcher TW Meade, M.D. "...chiropractic is a very effective treatment, more effective than conventional hospital outpatient treatment for low-back pain, particularly in patients who had back pain in the past and who got severe problems".

The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) - University of Ottawa, Canada.

Low Back Pain of Mechanical Origin: Randomized Comparison of Chiropractic and Hospital Outpatient Treatment. Meade, TW et al British Medical Journal - 1990;300:1431-1437.

Spinal manipulation performed by a Minneapolis chiropractor has consistently outperformed any other therapy it has been compared to including; placebo, ultrasound, traction, exercise, bed rest, and medications, and in most outcome measures such as; range of motion, cost-effectiveness, lost time from work, patient satisfaction and pain relief. So if you are dealing with back pain give a chiropractor, like the ones at Nokomis Chiropractic, a call.