Back Pain

 

An estimated 75-85 percent of people will experience back pain at some time in their life, and most cases are mechanical in nature, meaning the pain is not due to a serious medical condition such as inflammatory arthritis or fracture.

Fifty percent of all working adults say they have back pain, and it's one of the most common reasons for missed work.

According to the American Chiropractic Association,¹ Americans spend at least $50 billion annually on back pain treatments, and are often left feeling more confused about their problem.

Not surprisingly, back pain has become a major target for Big Pharma disease mongering.² The latest example of this is the emergence of ads for ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton, which includes the spine.

The drug advertised is Humira, which has a price tag of about $20,000 a year. It is reprehensible for drug companies to promote this expensive and dangerous drug for an exceedingly rare cause of low back pain, which likely is responsible for less than a tenth of a tenth of one percent of low back pain.

Side effects of the drug include tuberculosis, serious infections, increased risk of lymphoma and other cancers, hepatitis B infection in carriers of the virus, allergic reactions, nervous system problems, blood problems, heart failure, certain immune reactions including a lupus-like syndrome, liver problems, and new or worsening psoriasis — and that’s the short list! There are many more.

Considering the fact that most cases of low back pain are not caused by inflammatory conditions, you probably do not need this drug — although you may have no trouble receiving it should you ask your doctor for it...

Besides addictive and dangerous painkillers, pain injections also carry risks. Last year, nearly two dozen people receiving steroid injections for chronic back pain contracted meningitis. The outbreak was traced to a contaminated batch of injectable steroids.⁴

Since poor posture and/or improper movement is to blame for most cases of back pain, one of the best things you can do to prevent and manage back pain is to exercise regularly and keep your back and abdominal muscles strong.

What’s Causing the Pain?

With the exception of blunt force injuries, low back pain is commonly caused and exacerbated by:

Poor posture	Poor physical conditioning facilitated by inactivity	Internal disease, such as kidney stones, infections, blood clots
Obesity	Psychological/emotional stress	Osteoporosis (bone loss)

To book an appointment, call us at 403-347-3261 Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.com