Back pain is one of the most common reasons we would see patients here at Belridge Chiropractic. Back pain can range from a muscle aching to a shooting, burning or stabbing sensation. The pain can in some circumstances radiate down your leg or worsen when walking or standing, bending and twisting, or lifting objects that are not even heavy. Movement and mobility can be extremely hindered.
Our Chiropractors use manual therapies, that include spinal adjustments and mobilisation to improve function and help provide pain relief for back pain patients. Reducing the inflammation, or burning feeling, is helped with these adjustments and sometimes with added natural anti-inflammatories recommended in clinic.
After the required treatment regime and patience, your back should return to optimum functionality.
Whether you are dealing with chronic or acute back pain, one thing is certain, continuing to take pain medication to get through your day is not a long-term solution.
At Belridge Chiropractic, we dive deep to uncover the root cause of your problem while developing a care plan that serves you and your unique needs.
If you’re not sure what’s causing your back pain, here are a few common culprits we see often:
Bad posture. Keeping your spine properly positioned all day is hard work. For most of us, slouching happens when we use our phones, computers or even watch television. When we fall out of proper posture, the muscles in your back can start to hurt.
Scoliosis. Our spine has a natural curve-but some people have an additional curvature that can cause problems. Scoliosis can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Your mattress. How long have you been sleeping on your current mattress? If it’s been longer than 7 years, your mattress has likely lost its support and it may be time to purchase a new one.
Old injuries. Have you ever been in a car accident? Or played sports? Injuries that are months, years and even decades old can cause problems present day. Why? It’s possible that if the injury never had the chance to heal properly, your body overcompensated for the injury, resulting in problems today that are finally expressing themselves. Fortunately, identifying the root cause of the injury can often lead to success in Chiropractic care. Read more about Injury and Pain Management.
Stress. When you’re stressed, your muscles tighten. If chronic stress is a part of your life, so are tight muscles around the clock. As you can imagine, tense muscles that last for weeks on end can easily cause pain in the body.
Every day, we see patients in the practice who are stressed. Whether it’s physical, emotional, or chemical stress building up in your body, one thing is certain: too much of it isn’t helping your chronic or acute pain. In fact, it could be making it worse.
How?
Stress and pain go hand in hand. When you’re dealing with pain, a certain level of anxiety typically pops up surrounding the injury. When it’s not addressed, pain continues and so does stress. As more pain and more stress builds in the body, it can begin to affect your daily life and activities.
Here’s a deeper look at the cycle of pain:
Phase 1: You become limited in certain functions of day-to-day life and leisure activities.
Phase 2: Fear builds surrounding the decrease in activities
Phase 3: Limitations and less movement can lead to weakened muscles, ultimately causing more pain. This can start the cycle over.
To break the cycle and limit the stress you’re experiencing, try these things:
Fuel your body with food that nourishes from the inside out. This means eating whole grains, healthy fats, and limiting sugar and excess carbohydrates.
Do some form of exercise for at least 30 minutes each day (unless you’re in severe pain). Exercise lowers the stress hormones in your body over time, and may improve your quality of sleep.
Visit us. We’re here to help address this very concern and have the necessary knowledge and tools to restore function and wellness to your spine.
Chiropractors’ first call to action comes from people with lower back pain. This comes in many forms and can be pathological (a bone disease or physical injury such as a torn disc) or it can be what is known as uncomplicated mechanical back pain which is a fancy way of saying that the joints of the spine are not working properly. When this happens the joints stop moving through their normal range of motion and you become stiff and it often becomes painful over time.
Chiropractors can often help with the diagnosis of spine pathologies and can even treat some of them such as disc injuries. However, chiropractors are GREAT at dealing with uncomplicated mechanical lower back pain.
This type of pain is actually a result of your brain’s response to what it perceives to be an abnormal joint function. When the joint stops moving normally it stops sending as many signals to the brain about where the joint is relative to other nearby parts of the spine and body. If this continues the brain creates inflammation at the site in question in an attempt to heal the tissue. This causes pain in the area. The brain waits for the joints signals to improve and when they don’t, because the joint is not moving properly, it creates more inflammation. This cycle continues until you have constant pain.
Chiropractors are skilled in diagnosing and treating this condition. Once the affected joint/s is located, gentle and specific adjustments are performed to release the joints and restore movement back to normal. Depending on how long you have been suffering and whether there is any degeneration present, this can take weeks to months of care. Many people prefer to keep on top of this treatment by making regular visits to keep their back pain condition under control.
The result is the joint begins to send the brain more normal signals and the brain stops trying to heal it by creating inflammation, so the pain gradually goes away.
Sciatic pain results when the sciatic nerve is compressed, irritated, or inflamed. Common culprits can be herniated discs, misaligned spinal bones, tense or tight muscles, as well as an injury to or near the nerve. As the longest nerve in your body, it runs from the lower back through the hips, buttocks and down into each leg. As it touches so many crucial parts of your body, it’s easy to see how it can become irritated.
Sciatic pain can also be triggered by things like:
• Unsupportive shoes
• Sitting on a full back pocket—i.e., one with a phone, keys or wallet in it resulting in an uneven seated position
• Stress
Do you ever wake up with a dull ache in your back, hips or legs? Or, maybe a pain that seems to radiate throughout your entire lower body without rhyme or reason? It’s possible that sciatica is to blame, and the best way to get rid of sciatic pain is to understand its root cause.
While sciatica can be painful to deal with, there is hope at getting it under control. As slipped or herniated discs, inflammation and misaligned spinal bones are common culprits, giving Chiropractic care a try is often a first step. The goal of care at Belridge Chiropractic will be to improve the way your body is functioning, restoring its ability to heal itself naturally through focused, gentle care.
Not only can we provide specific Chiropractic adjustments, but we’ll also recommend various stretches and exercises to help you manage and overcome the discomfort.
Passionate about helping community members live a better life through customised family chiropractic care, pain relief and optimal wellness.
Day
Morning
Afternoon
Monday
8:30 - 12:30
2:00 - 6:30
Tuesday
8:00 - 12:30
2:00 - 6:30
Wednesday
8:00 - 12:30
2:00 - 6:30
Thursday
8:00 - 12:00
2:00 - 6:30
Friday
8:00 - 12:30
2:00 - 6:30
Saturday
8:00 - 11:00