For many people living in Los Angeles, CA lower back pain is one of those occasional discomforts that may even be an occupational hazard. People working in construction, for example, expose their backs to powerful forces over the years of work. Even someone working at an office job, sitting in an office chair for many hours, can experience lower back pain given enough time.

For many people, the solution to this is to go to the nearest pharmacy and buy some pain killers. If that doesn’t work, go to a doctor and get a prescription for even more powerful pain killers. But there is another solution to this that might be better in the long run, and that’s to visit a chiropractor.

What Is A Chiropractor?
A chiropractor is a trained specialist who focuses on pain relief of the back and other joints. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation techniques as their primary means of treatment. SMT, in this case, refers to using the hands and other tools to physically move or realign bones in the back, neck or other joints.

SMT is unique in that it is a non-invasive form of treatment. Back surgery, for example, obviously involves subjecting the patient to anesthesia, and cutting into the area of treatment. Administering drugs, like pain killers, don’t actually fix a problem, instead dulling the nerves so the warnings of a problem the body is sending, pain, can be tolerated.

How It Works
When people experience lower back pain, this can be for several reasons. A pinched nerve, for example, more formally known as sciatica, is when the discs between backbones experience stronger-than-normal pressure that squeezes it, causing the pain.

A good chiropractor can locate the area where the backbones are out of alignment, causing the abnormal pressure, and realign the bones into proper position, thus taking that pressure off. Once the bones are in proper alignment, the pain stops and so does any mobility issue that came with it.

More Than Just The Back
The human body is a series of interrelated systems, so problems in one area can cause issues with another. This is why when a chiropractor works on issues like realigning the back, the neck, or even joints; this can sometimes lead to clearing up other conditions. It’s not unusual for migraine headaches to clear up after a visit to a chiropractor.

This is why, for people who are experiencing chronic lower back pain, it’s important to consider the options. A visit to the chiropractor isn’t free, so there may be issues with having the funds to cover treatment. Some medical insurance coverage does apply to chiropractic treatment, while others do not. Recent studies by respected organizations such as Harvard, while short in their duration, have shown positive results for chiropractic treatment. More research needs to be conducted, but the initial results, especially for SMT and pinched nerves, already show much promise.

If you live in Los Angeles, CA, and you’re suffering from joint or back pain, maybe we can help. Contact Olympic Chiropractic LA, and come in for a visit. We’ll take a look at your back and see what we can do to relieve the pain.