When to See a Doctor about Your Back Pain
Almost everyone experiences back pain in some form at some point or another. Maybe your job requires you to stand or sit without
the proper back support for long periods of time. Or perhaps you job requires vigorous bending, lifting, etc. In Orange County, hundreds
of people wonder whether their back pain is severe enough to see a doctor, chiropractor or seek some sort of spinal manipulative
therapy. Often some Irvine back pain sufferers lose sleep over chronic pain that will not go away with home remedies.
Spinal manipulative therapy, such as Orange County spinal decompression is adjustment of the spine using twisting, pulling, or pushing
movements. These movements can loosen and move the spinal bones and joint structures that may be causing pain. This is the basis of
chiropractic treatment, but not only chiropractors are trained to do spinal manipulation.
See an Orange County chiropractor, an osteopathic doctor, a physicist, or a physical therapist who performs spinal manipulation. Your
insurance coverage may be a factor in deciding who to see for treatment.Before deciding on spinal manipulative therapy you may want to
consider a few things about your back pain. For most people, home treatments like ice, heat, pain relievers, or mild exercise can relieve
lower back pain within 4 to 6 weeks. You should also first have your symptoms evaluated. Sharp pain or lower back pain with leg tingling
or numbness can be signs of more serious conditions that would require immediate medical treatment, and could be made worse by spinal
manipulative therapy. Back pain treatment in Orange County should only be performed by licensed and experienced health practitioners.
Should you choose spinal manipulation therapy, you should find a practitioner who is willing to coordinate with your other health
professionals and is covered by your insurance.
There are many different types of spinal manipulation techniques. Depending on the practitioner these may range from massage and slow
pressing or twisting to rapid movement or forceful pressure on the head, shoulder, back, or hips. Often, your practitioner will use heat,
ultrasound, or electrical current to relax your muscles before manipulating the spine - especially if you have tight or spamming muscles.
Only medical doctors are able to use medicines or surgery to treat back pain conditions.
Like other treatments, spinal manipulation may work for some people and not others. Spinal manipulation success is influenced by both
the practitioner's diagnostic and treatment skill, and the cause of low back pain. A UCLA study has suggested that people are nearly equally
satisfied with chiropractic versus medical low back pain care when they are given clear treatment information and at least four
suggestions for home treatment.