Low Back Pain and Chiropractic in St. George
Why Should Active Parents See a Chiropractor for Low Back Pain?
One of the most frustrating things we experience as parents is the realization that our body possibly doesn't move like it used to, and low back pain can quickly turn the activities we enjoyed into something that we dread.
While before, you are still running marathons and you're still hitting the slopes, after a few sleepless nights in a row, your body just doesn't seem to bounce back as quickly.
For active parents balancing family, work, and fitness, low back pain can feel like something that just might "creep up" all of a sudden, with no explanation.
The good news is, chiropractic care, along with continuing to move as much as possible, is often the simplest (and best) solution.
Understanding Low Back Pain in Active Parents
What Causes Low Back Pain?
As parents, we put our bodies through a lot. Between lifting kids, carrying groceries, and squeezing in workouts, the spine and our back often takes the brunt of our busy lifestyles.
Here are some common culprits behind back pain:
Functional Overuse: Activities like running, playing sports, or even gardening can strain your back if done without proper form and strengthening.
Poor posture: Hunching over a computer at work or slouching on the couch may add unnecessary stress to your spine.
Awkward lifting: Whether it’s picking up your toddler or loading heavy bags into the car, improper lifting techniques can be the "final straw" that piles up onto years of strain, and may be the last thing that happens before a back injury.
Stress: Emotional and mental stress can lead to muscle tension, especially in the neck and low back.
I’ve seen many parents come into the clinic after "tweaking" their low back during an innocent activity like hoisting their child onto their shoulders.
However, I also want to emphasize, as I mentioned above, that the motion that was happening at the time of the injury, is often NOT the reason you were injured.
Why does this matter?
Well, it means that if you enjoy lifting heavy weights, or mountain biking, or lifting your children, or playing soccer - you can likely keep doing those things - and you shouldn't be afraid of these activities.
Avoiding them may actually delay your recovery even further!
How Chiropractic Care Relieves Low Back Pain
The Science Behind Chiropractic Care
First of all, chiropractors primarily focus on the relationship between your spine and overall health.
Pressure, inflammation, and obstruction of nerve transmission, in the spine, called subluxations, can lead to pain, limited movement, and can have other downstream effects to all parts of your body. Through targeted adjustments, chiropractors restore proper alignment, reduce inflammation, and improve function of nerve transmission to facilitate optimal health.
Techniques Used by Chiropractors
There are many different adjusting techniques - the most "traditional" technique that many are familiar with, called "Diversified" technique, is where the chiropractor applies a High Velocity, Low Amplitude thrust to the spinal joints, which opens up the joint spaces being adjusted and makes a loud "pop".
This action triggers a signal through the nerves to the brain, which tells the brain to send anti-inflammatory chemicals to the area of restriction (where the chiropractor adjusted).
This flood of anti-inflammatory chemicals often results in a feeling of immediate relief, as endorphins are often also released after the adjustment. However, some people find these types of adjustments abrupt, aggressive, or forceful, and instead prefer a softer and gentler technique.
This softer technique is what we use at Davar Health in St. George, where we use a low-force instrument around the spine that does not cause twisting, popping, or cracking, but achieves the same nerve signal effect that traditional chiropractic adjustments do. We are happy to show you how this works in our office.
Soft Tissue Therapy:
Techniques like massage or myofascial release relax tight muscles and improve circulation.
Lifestyle Guidance: Chiropractors often provide advice on posture, exercise, and ergonomics to help prevent future pain.
One patient of mine, a mom of three, came in after months of dealing with lower back pain. She loved jogging but found herself skipping runs because her lower back pain was unbearable.
After a few weeks of care, including adjustments and targeted core-strengthening exercises, she was back to her regular routine and even signed up for her first 5K!
Therapeutic Exercise
This is known as "active care" - where the patient takes a larger ownership role in their health outcomes by actively engaging and strengthening their muscles through targeted, deliberate movements that re-calibrate and re-align how the brain, nervous system, and muscles are communicating.
Often overlooked, therapeutic exercise is critical for long-term stability and maintenance of progress (and reduction of pain from the start of care) as many painful episodes in the future can be prevented by intentional, purposeful exercise and movement that encourages spinal stability and overall wellness.
Why Active Parents Need Chiropractic Care
To Stay Active and Pain-Free
As an active parent, especially living and raising a family in St. George, you don’t want low back pain slowing you down.
Whether it’s running by the Virgin River with friends or hiking the national parks with your family, chiropractic care helps keep your body in motion.
By addressing the root cause of your pain, you can stay active without relying on painkillers or avoiding your favorite activities out of fear of re-injuring yourself.
Prevent Long-Term Issues
One of the number one predictors of all-cause mortality in the long-term has been shown to be inactivity. The last thing we want you to do is to stop doing the activities you enjoy because you were told you shouldn't do it because you might re-injure yourself, or make it worse.
In almost all cases except for the very serious ones, exercise and conservative care such as chiropractic and physical therapy are far and away the best options for recovery and prevention.
Perform at Your Best
When your spine is properly aligned, your body works more efficiently. If your body is pre-occupied with low back pain, it is often overwhelmed by the pain, which reduces your ability to perform other important tasks.
Low back pain is often like having your hand on a hot stove, while trying to simultaneously write an essay. The pain (which is a "good" thing in this instance) is telling your body that something isn't working the way it should (so you need to pull your hand off the stove!).
Improved alignment, and training our body to recognize the pain, and then build up from there, enhances strength, balance, and endurance—all key to performing well in your favorite activities. Plus, you’ll have more energy to keep up with your kids!
Why Early Care Matters
One of the biggest mistakes I see is parents waiting too long to seek help and be proactive about their back pain. Addressing pain early, and having a clear plan in place for attacking it head-on, makes treatment faster and more effective. It also prevents minor issues from becoming chronic problems.
Tips for Managing Back Pain Between Visits
While chiropractic care is essential, there are definitely things you can do at home to support your recovery and prevent future pain:
1. Stay Active
Gentle activities like walking or swimming help keep your muscles flexible and reduce stiffness.
2. Practice Good Sitting Habits
Be mindful of your sitting especially if you sit at a desk for long periods for work. Breathing deeply for 2 minutes every hour, where you focus on bracing your core, while breathing downwards into your lower pelvis, helps your back rest after supporting your body in one spot for a long time. Walking a few hundred steps every hour during long work days can help your back during these long sitting periods.
3. Stretch Regularly
Incorporate daily stretches to loosen tight muscles and improve flexibility. Focus on stretches that target the lower back, hamstrings, and hips.
4. Lift Properly
When lifting heavy objects (or kids!), bend your knees, keep your back straight, and use your legs to lift. Avoid twisting motions in the middle of a controlled lift.
5. Rest and Recover
Don’t push through pain. Allow your body time to recover, especially after intense activities. Applying ice or heat can help ease soreness.
6. Take A Look At Nutrition
You may have seen the rise of influencers talking about how inflammatory foods, such as seed oils, processed packaged foods, food dyes, and other substances in our food supply are affecting our health. For some, especially in my clinical experience, I have seen remarkable turnarounds in pain and inflammation (and healthy weight loss) by simply eliminating or swapping certain cooking oils for butter or olive oil, eating more meat and whole dairy products such as steak, ground beef, or eggs, and by cutting out "healthy drinks" such as diet soda - and just drinking plain water or sparkling water. When your body isn't focusing on cleaning out what you've eaten, it can dedicate time and energy to healing the rest of your body, including that chronic back pain that just hasn't gone away the last few years.
Conclusion
Back pain doesn’t have to hold you back from living an active, fulfilling life. Chiropractic care offers a safe, effective way to relieve pain and improve your overall health. By addressing the root causes of back pain, you’ll not only feel better but also prevent future issues. Ready to take the first step? Schedule an appointment with us today and get back to doing the things you love—pain-free!
