The Problem with Neck and Back Pain

As a chiropractor who sees tons of patients complain of low back, neck pain and other spinal pains, it strikes me as to how our society views pain in general. Pain is seen as something that should be suppressed. It is an annoyance at the least and a disability when extreme. That is true. Many of my patients know about my own history of spine conditions arising largely from when I was hit by a car at the age of 5 while walking back from school. My left femur was badly fractured and my pelvis was crushed. I was unable to walk for a year and learned to walk again at the age of six. My chronic condition is a constant reminder to human suffering such as the cases we see in our office. My patients also know that the only reason I'm not in a wheelchair is because of chiropractic. As such I empathize with those who are in pain and are suffering.

Almost every day in the office we see cases of debilitating spinal conditions. Not all are as symptomatic. Some patients have only intermittent pain. All are suffering, however.

My mission is to educate my patients about the perils of loss of function of the spine. My aim is to shift the focus from their pain to their dysfunction. That's right, their dysfunction. We call this a SUBLUXATION. A subluxation is an area of the spine where the nerves are being affected. When nerves are under pressure, many things can go wrong. Not all those things are painful. In fact many may be completely symptom-free. Only a chiropractor can determine if you have a subluxation.

You see your nerves, coming from your brain through your spinal cord, exit the spine and carry VITAL information to and from the brain. Study of neurology will tell you that only 7% of your nerves carry symptom information. This means that 93% of the time, you may have no pain whatsoever. Your brain and nervous system control all cells, tissues, organs and systems in your body. Pressures on your nerves may reduce the function and cause all sorts of problems. You may not regulate your enzymes, hormones, digestion, detoxification, mental focus, stress, immune response or even blood pressure etc. if your nerves are under this pressure from a subluxation.

So the problem with neck and low back pain is not so much the pain itself. Rather the consequences of dysfunction/subluxation that may sap the living life from your well being. So is it important to rid yourself of neck and back pain. But the bigger question is what is the source of that pain in the first place. And is it beginning to affect the function of your very nervous system that keeps you alive, well and kicking.

When patients understand this aspect of their health and that their body was meant to be well, they become educated that back pain must be eliminated. But also that the cause or source of their pain, the SUBLUXATION, must be removed so wellness may be restored.

Have a happy, healthy day.

Dr. Behjat H. Syed, Chiropractor