Back Pain Relief

Lower back pain can be treated and helped with gentle and professional chiropractic care. Chiropractic treatments for low back pain are so effective and versatile that we see ourselves to be the first choice for conservative care (see ACA article) for low back pain in Pennsylvania and the United States in general! Dr. Ari Gilbert provides chiropractic care for patients with back pain from Bala Cynwyd, Philadelphia, and the Main Line Philadelphia region.

Lower back pain is one of the top reasons people visit their primary medical doctor. A common complaint, low back pain is “common but not normal.” You can choose to be well or healthy, but it takes a personal commitment to health. Low back pain is common and 80 percent of the public (J. Clinical Neurology) will have low back pain at some point in their lives. According to a 2015 peer reviewed article by the Annals of Internal Medicine article, there is a Rising Prevalence of Chronic Low Back Pain.

The good news is that for acute or chronic lower back pain, chiropractic care at the Ultimate Health and Chiropractic Center and Dr. Ari Gilbert has been demonstrated to be “hands down” the best choice for utilizing conservative (without the use of drugs, opioids, or surgery) care first. (The journal Spine.)

Neck pain, upper back pain, and lower back pain can be caused by many different sources. However, a good chiropractic doctor can help to find the root cause and the best and most effective treatments to help back pain, as they develop a working diagnosis and treatment plan.

What Causes Back Pain?

There are many structures in the spine that may become injured, inflamed, and be the cause of back pain. There a few main culprits that Dr. Ari Gilbert will assess during your first visit that can typically be the main cause of back pain. These include:

• The Facet Joints – Joints (or moveable and flexible joints of the spine) which can become inflamed, irritated, fixated, and painful. When you hear the “pop” of a good chiropractic adjustment, these are generally the facet joints of the spine finally getting to move. This is what helps to relieve pain.
• The Vertebral Disks of the Spine – Disks can bulge, swell, or even herniate, which can produce excruciating pain. While a severe herniation may require medical care, we have two tables dedicated to helping to relieve and heal the disk of your spine. They are the flexion distraction table and the spinal decompression table– both of which are proven to be superior to physical therapy and active exercise. While it’s helpful to confirm a diagnosis of disk pain with an MRI, you don’t have to have an MRI to suspect the disk as the cause of pain in the lower back. Like a good detective, award-winning Dr. Ari Gilbert can isolate the cause of your pain using orthopedic tests and exam findings.
• Degeneration – Degenerative Disk Disease, or DJD, can cause pain in the spine as it ages. When people don’t have early intervention with chiropractic care or other therapies that actually move the spine, the disks and spinal structures can degenerate and leave less space for the spinal nerves to exit, causing nerve like pain or sciatic pain.
• Nerve pain – When nerves become “pinched” or inflamed, they can produce pain that feels like “numbness or tingling” or a “sharp shooting pain.” When a group of nerves become inflamed, they can cause pain down the leg along the sciatic nerve which is sometimes referred to generally as sciatica.
• Muscular and Fascial pain – Often when muscles or areas have to compensate for other areas that are “stuck” or “not working properly” (a sprained ankle or knee for example), other muscles will “take over the load” and become contracted, shorter, and become more inflamed, producing pain in the body area.

• Ligament Pain – When the ligaments and spinal joints are injured, they can also produce inflammation and due to their low blood supply, can heal slowly especially without proper chiropractic care.
• When the spine and skeletal regions are not all moving properly and in concert with each other, this will cause uneven wear and tear on the muscles and joints (just like not balancing wheels on your car after getting new tires).
• Lower Back and other Back pain can also be referred pain from an organ or other internal issue that would be better treated by medical doctor. For these situations, your medical doctor, or Dr. Ari Gilbert can make those clinical decisions. However, most cases of lower back pain are musculo-skeletal and can be helped by chiropractic and the other tools that we offer at the Ultimate Health and Chiropractic Center.

How Chiropractic Can Help Back Pain.

Chiropractic treatment for upper back, middle back, and lower back pain is very effective for relieving pain, getting symmetry and movement in the spinal joints, as well as the disks, muscles, and ligaments which will adapt to the new ranges of motion when the patient is adjusted by a skilled and award winning chiropractor like Dr. Ari Gilbert.

“You are as young as your spine” – Chinese Proverb

When the spine has proper movement and flexibility, your muscles are in balance. Studies have shown that chiropractic also improves balance and proprioception, or knowing where your body is in space. For both athletes and the general public, better balance and proprioception helps in our daily life. Improved balance is one factor in preventing falls, a major reason for entrance into the healthcare system in older populations.

If left untreated, time and gravity are not on our side. The spine and surrounding structures can become more stiff and inflexible. Patients who receive chiropractic care and get adjusted by a chiropractor regularly are more likely to have better balance and avoid injury. However, if injury does occur, patients who are adjusted regularly and are under chiropractic care are more likely to recover faster, improve range of motion (ROM), and live a longer, healthier, and happier life with less lower back pain.

Certainly, for staying out of pain longer term, chiropractic care with Dr. Ari Gilbert and Ultimate Health and Chiropractic Center can help you stay pain free and active longer than doing nothing and hoping for the best. Chiropractic treatment can vary based on how intense your back pain is and how frequently it occurs. Generally, there are three different types of treatment for lower back pain:

• Acute Care – We do what is necessary to get you out of pain naturally. This can include chiropractic treatment, acupuncture treatment, modalities, or soft tissue mobilization techniques.
• Corrective Care – This is for those who have the same recurrent back pain and you want it to stop. We combine spinal rehabilitation, chiropractic treatment, scar tissue healing and Acupuncture to stabilize the spine and bring long lasting results.
• Maintenance Care – Maintaining your spine with chiropractic treatment is essential to staying healthy & active through your adulthood. This should be your goal.

If you’re seeking a low back pain doctor in the Bala Cynwyd, PA area, Dr. Ari Gilbert is the doctor for you. Low back pain treatments are available at Ultimate Health and Chiropractic Center and are ideal for those of you who not only want to get out of pain, but desire to get healthy and stay healthy for a lifetime with chiropractic care and whole food customized nutrition!

Ultimate Health and Chiropractic Center offers a personalized approach to treating back pain because everybody responds differently to treatment. If you have any questions on how chiropractic treatment will help your back pain, contact our office at 610-245-3065 and set up an appointment or consultation!