There are plenty of people suffering from back pain all across the country. It is not a nice thing to suffer from, it can be very painful, and it can make you lethargic and almost lazy and in the worst cases leave you unable to move. For some of us who suffer with back pain we will turn to a painkiller such as paracetamol to help us out, but does this actually do anything? As a busy Chelmsford Chiropractor one of the most common injuries my clients come in with is back pain and this leaves me well-placed to offer you advice on back pain and how to treat it.
Types of back pain
Back pain comes in all different shapes and sizes and the key to getting your treatment right is finding out which type of back pain you are suffering with. Being a busy Chelmsford Chiropractor I often have to diagnose the type of back pain. There are a few different types of back pain
Wear and tear –Quite simply as we get older our body gets older and wear and tear may contribute to back pain. The shock absorbing pads or discs on your spine can narrow with age and cause stiffness and pain.
Trapped nerves – Potentially the most serious type of back pain is that of trapped nerves, but essentially this can happen because of wear and tear or mechanical problems.
Mechanical – This is what the majority of people that suffer with back pain have. It means that there are no serious underlying issues and conditions and no trapped nerves. It is not always clear what causes mechanical back pain but it can often be because of poor posture and sitting in an uncomfortable position.
Paracetamol and coping with back pain
As a leading Chelmsford Chiropractor I get asked by patients if painkillers will help or which painkillers can I recommend. Many of us will take paracetamol to cope with back pain, some of you will think this helps but research carried out in Australia with 1650 sufferers of back pain begs to differ. The research looked at sufferers taking regular doses of the common painkiller and sufferers using a ‘placebo’ and saw no difference in the recovery time of the back pain sufferers.
This isn’t to say that medical advice should change on the basis of one study or that other painkillers won’t help but that paracetamol may not be as effective as you think. In any case a painkiller is likely to increase the recovery time.
Treating back pain
By taking painkillers you are hiding the problem and this can ultimately effect the recovery time. The best way to treat back pain is to visit a chiropractor. We are highly trained professionals that are governed by national regulations and we are experts in the field. As a Chelmsford Chiropractor I will often assess a patient to discover the true extent of any back pain before deciding upon a course of treatment. This will often involve manual sessions but can come in the form of acupuncture, life-style advice stretching exercises or general rehabilitation.
At our busy Chelmsford Chiropractor you can pop in for a chat or a one-to-one session to help find the root cause of your problems. You can find us on www.chelmsfordchiropractor.co.uk