Back pain is a very common condition. In fact, it ranks second in the list of reasons a person may visit their primary care physician. Approximately, 5% of people miss at least one work day annually due to back pain. It accrues nearly $1 billion in medical costs. Why is this such a common problem? Is there anything besides pharmaceuticals or surgery that can help alleviate it?
Improper Spine Alignment Can Cause Back Pain
One may find it surprising to learn that a tiny misalignment in the upper neck vertebrae can be the root cause of back pain. The very top bone of the spine is called the atlas bone. If this bone is misaligned by only ¼ of a millimeter, it can cause a number of health issues throughout the body. This type of misalignment puts stress or pressure on the brainstem and spinal cord causing them to send faulty signals to and from the brain and body. This, in turn, creates posture problems and muscle pain. If one side of the body is experiencing muscle tightness, sciatica can be an end result. To compensate for this, one hip may become higher than the other leading to differences in leg length. Yes, a tiny bone out of place in the neck can wreak havoc on the entire body.
Where to Find Help for Back Pain
Seeking the care of an upper cervical chiropractor is a great place to start when it come to finding help for your back pain. Once a patient’s specific misalignment has been measured, it can be corrected using a very gentle adjustment. This allows the bones to move back into place more naturally than popping or forcing them.
A case study done of a man complaining of sciatica revealed that he did have a misalignment in his atlas bone. Once he began receiving care from an upper cervical chiropractor, he saw a huge reduction in his sciatica pain. I have seen similar results in my own practice.
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