Back Pain Relief

One of the primary sources of back pain is chiropractic subluxation complexes. As chiropractors we passionately discuss how to define this term that we use regularly. Not everyone agrees on a standard definition. I won't allow that to prevent me from attempting to discuss it here. A chiropractic subluxation is the malposition of and/or abnormal function of a motion segment (a joint, surrounding bone, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and other tissues). The nervous system, muscles, organs, and other systems of the body can be affected with a chiropractic subluxation complex is present. The following is what the Association of Chiropractic Colleges has to say in its Position Paper #1 concerning chiropractic and the treatment of subluxations from July 1996.  

"Chiropractic is concerned with the preservation and restoration of health and focuses particular attention on the subluxation.  

A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health.  

A subluxation is evaluated, diagnosed, and managed through the use of chiropractic procedures based on the best available rational and empirical evidence.  

Chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery.  

The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.  

In addition, Doctors of Chiropractic recognize the value and responsibility of working in cooperation with other health care practitioners when in the best interest of the patient."  

A subluxation can happen in any joint, so chiropractic care also involves the extremities (arms and legs). Chiropractic can help with a variety of health problems that include back pain but are not limited to back pain. Throughout the rest of this web site you can learn about some of the other problems that chiropractic care might help.

Note: You may also hear this problem referred to as a non-allopathic lesion, vertebral subluxation, vertebral subluxation complex, or segmental dysfunction. Often, we just call it a subluxation and assume we all understand we are using a chiropractic term.

Disc injuries, like subluxations, can be a source of back pain. The vertebral disc is made of cartilage. It does not have very good vasculature (blood vessels) or innervation (nerve supply). Because of this, disc injuries take a long time to heal.  

Picture a disc like a jelly doughnut in between two bones (vertebra). The inside of the disc, the jelly, is called the nucleus pulposis. The outside of the disc, like the outside of a jelly doughnut, is tough and called the annulus fibrosis. The outside of the disc is made of fibrous tissue. A herniated disc is when the jelly (nucleus pulposis) squishes out of the doughnut (annulus fibrosis). It is then possible for the squeezed-out jelly to compress nerves and cause pain.  

Chiropractic can be helpful in relieving pain due to disc injuries. There are many gentle techniques used to decrease pain and increase function of the injured area. Chiropractic is a good place to start in the treatment of disc injuries, because it is more conservative than surgery. 

Sciatica is pain caused by impingement of or interference with the sciatic nerve. There are many causes of this impingement. Disc herniations, muscle tightness or imbalance, chiropractic subluxation, and others, can cause sciatica. The pain sciatica causes is usually sharp or tingling pain, in the back of the thigh above the knee. There are, however, many different descriptions of pain that people with sciatica have.

The sciatic nerve can be affected in many ways. Your chiropractor will need to do a history and exam in order to tell where the problem is coming from. The sciatic nerve originates from spinal nerves in the low back (from the ventral rami of L4-S3 or the fourth lumbar nerve root through the third sacral nerve root). From the spinal cord it exits in between the vertebra (bones) of your low back, as well as from your sacrum (below your low back and above your tailbone). At this point there are many things that can cause the sciatic nerve to be irritated. Injured discs and spinal degeneration are two possible ways that the sciatic nerve can be irritated as it exits the spinal cord (actually there is no cord at those levels because the chord has branched off like a horse's tail but talking about the spinal cord is less complicated). 

A less serious and more simple cause of sciatic irritation at the spine is chiropractic subluxation (malposition of bones and dysfunction of the joints that can affect the nervous system and surrounding soft tissue), chiropractic subluxations are what chiropractors adjust which often results in a cracking sound (cavitation).

As the sciatic nerve moves away from the spine it runs under the piriformis muscle. In some people the sciatic nerve actually goes through the piriformis muscle. This means that any tightness of the piriformis muscle can irritate the nerve. Sometimes simple stretches and exercises can take care of the problem. The piriformis muscle attaches to the sacrum and the femur (thigh bone). If there are any subluxations of your low back, sacrum or ilium (pelvis), hip, knees, or ankles, the piriformis might react by splinting and becoming tight which could irritate the nerve.

There are things that can cause sciatica like symptoms that are not due to the sciatic nerve. During the exam, we work to find out what the true cause of the problem is. Chiropractic treatment can be extremely effective in treating sciatica. The techniques and types of treatment used depends on the cause of the problem. Typically, treatment includes chiropractic adjustments and stretches, sometimes various therapies and nutritional supplements may be used.