If you suffer with chronic or recurrent neck or back pain (or headaches or sciatica or any number of other issues) you are a member of a growing group. According to research at any given time 100 million Americans are suffering from neck or back pain. 

The medical approach to treating neck and back pain is focused on the pain. While I can understand that anyone experiencing pain wants pain relief, treating the pain rarely addresses “why” the pain is there.

In other words medical treatment more often than not fails to address the underlying cause of the pain. 

Typical medical approaches to neck and back pain include:

• MEDICATIONS: muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, pain medication, antidepressants, and narcotics.
• INTERVENTIONS: nerve blocks, epidural injections, radiofrequency ablation, and surgery

THE PROBLEM IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED

When the primary treatment is being directed at reducing pain as a priority it fails to address the reasons why the pain is there in the first place. If all you do is shut down the pain signal you do nothing to address the cause of the pain.

It’s a little like putting black tape over a warning light on your dashboard. The light is no longer visible but the reason the light is on hasn’t changed. 

Pain is one of the ways the body communicates. What is pain telling you?

Pain is an indication of something being out of balance. Sometimes it’s an indication of tissue damage with something like a burn or a sprain or a fracture. 

After any acute injury has healed pain that continues is an indication of improper healing or another way to look at it is it indicates imbalance. 

THE CAUSE OF THE PAIN IS IMBALANCE!

The vast majority of neck pain, headaches, and back pain is structural or mechanical in nature.

This means that a loss of balance or proper joint motion in the pelvis or spine is responsible for causing nerve irritation that results in pain. 

Taking medication, getting injections, or other medical approaches do not address the underlying structural and mechanical imbalances. 

THE LIFE CHIROPRACTIC CORRECTIVE REBALANCING PROGRAM

I’ve been a chiropractor for more than 3 decades. My introduction to chiropractic came because of chronic neck pain, headaches, back pain, fatigue and a host of other problems that resulted from a car accident a year prior. 

Over the years chiropractic has helped me stay healthy and active. And, I’m always looking for additional approaches and strategies to help me. 

Over the years I’ve tracked closely what worked best for myself and my clients. If a treatment or a practice resulted consistently in predictable, repeatable, and measurable results I kept it. If it was hit or miss I threw it out. 

Over the years I’ve arrived at a 4 strategy program that addresses the core imbalances that the vast majority of chronic neck and back pain sufferers have.

The Corrective Rebalancing Program:

#1 Corrective Chiropractic: this differs from traditional chiropractic which is often only concerned with restoring motion to the painful area. Corrective chiropractic restores motion, balance and alignment with specific adjustments only to those areas out of alignment. 

#2 Posterior Chain Activation: when you lose motion in different areas of the spine and pelvis the muscles that support great posture and pain free movement become inhibited. The posterior chain is a series of muscles that support you against gravity and enable you to move through your day without pain. 

#3 Spinal Joint Flossing: the small joints of the spine are the facet joints. When areas of the spine lose mobility these joints become a source of pain and the process of arthritis starts. 

Spinal joint flossing is a simple series of movements that help restore and maintain facet joint motion and help lubricate the joints. 

#4 Stress Resilience: with chronic pain there is always an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system that increases muscle tension, inflammation, and pain. Activating the Vagus Nerve is critical to restore a healthy balance to the autonomic nervous system. 

Regardless of whether you utilize the medical approach you should do whatever you can to address the underlying cause of your pain. If it is chronic or recurrent do not ignore the pain even if you can manage it with medication. 

Longstanding imbalances in the spine and pelvis set the stage for the development of degenerative arthritis which becomes another source of pain.

If you live in Nevada County and would like to schedule a visit to Life Chiropractic and explore our options for your neck or back pain you can schedule here: Schedule Here.

About Dr. Berkowitz  

Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.

Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.  

Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom relief, focusing instead on long-term correction for his patients’ well-being.