Healthy News June 2021

Back pain patients visit Manahawkin Chiropractic Center with all sorts of different issues. Some walk better than others. Some have better muscles than others. Some are more prone to depression than others. Your Manahawkin chiropractor understands this and meets each back pain patient where s/he is and examines each patient to discover the difference(s) that make all the difference when putting together an alleviating chiropractic treatment plan. Tests like the 6-minute walk test that gauges the distance walked in 6 minutes and the TUG (‘time up to go’ from a seated position) test can be quite informative of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health in degenerative lumbar spine patients. Both may be affected by back pain. (1) Back muscles that weaken and turn fatty (like the multifidus muscle tends to do) indicate issues with inflammatory and regeneration processes. (Back surgeons don’t like this as a poorer surgical outcome is possible.) (2) Chiropractors know this and promote gentle exercise for these back muscles as part of the treatment plan to prevent recurrent back pain that a few lumbar disc degeneration patients endure. A recent study explained that those who tend to experience recurrent back pain were found to move in a different way, more carefully, likely to avoid pain. Recurrent back pain patients also experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression, and disability along with a reduced quality of life. (3) Your Manahawkin chiropractor welcomes all back pain sufferers with all their peculiarities. Your chiropractor teams up with with each one during the current back pain event and beyond to control the back pain (emotional, physical and mental aspects), so it does not control them.