How does an osteopathic practitioner or a physiotherapist, approach back pain issues?
Lower Back Pain can have many different causes. Osteopaths look at the series of events that lead up to the final incident of lower back pain. For instance if someone has a disc problem (e.g. herniated or slipped disc), an osteopath does not view the herniated disc as the root problem, but rather as the manifestation of a series of problems that have occurred for a person. The individual has probably gotten stiffer and stiffer for many reasons and they may have had several traumatic experiences. Your body has been trying it's best to compensate for these issues, and then finally, something happens, and it just can't compensate any more and the disc "blows".
Osteopaths will also look at the whole body, not just the lower back, to look for problems perhaps in the spine or hips or abdominal contents that may be shifted like in a car accident, which can all contribute to the back being pulled into a funny angle.
For example, if someone gets into a car accident, with their seat belt on, your body can get torqued in such a way that your whole upper abdomen gets shifted over. And because some of your upper abdominal contents are hung on ligaments that attach to your diaphragm and some of your ribs, it can pull on them and cause a pain or stitch in your side that doesn't seem to go away.
What are some natural approaches to treat and relieve lower back pain?
Osteopathic manual practitioners use a hands-on approach to treat lower back pain. They look at realigning the structures, making sure things that have been restricted, adhered, or scarred over are released or stretched into the right position. They also look at rebalancing muscles. Around the joints of the spine, people have lots of different muscles that work together and we have to get them to work in sync. You can do this partly through manual techniques and exercises.
Some other common issues are women who are prone to back issues due to carrying purses or babies on the same side on a regular basis. Babies are a big issue- either how the women are carrying or holding the babies, or even how they are picking up infants. Also how a mother positions the baby for breast feeding can impact the back. It is important to use pillows to position the baby appropriately, so they are not always being pulled forward.
Are there supplements to take to help alleviate or prevent lower back pain?
There are a number of supplements people can take to help alleviate lower back pain. A naturopath can help identify which ones would be appropriate for each person. Some options include: fish oils, glucosamine sulphate, MSM, hyaluronic acid, magnesium is very good for back spasms, and anti-inflammatories like Bromelain and Tumeric are good when you have acute back pain. For preventing back pain, fish oils, glucosamine sulphate are best.
For back pain there needs to be a hands-on component of the treatment plan, for an effective solution.
Go to www.vitaminjunkeys.com and click on a Find a Practitioner link to find an osteopathic practitioner, physiotherapist, massage therapist or a naturopathic doctor in your community.
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What's Dr. JJ taking today: Fish Oil
Dr. JJ takes Fish oil for joint pains. The fish oil he is taking is enteric coated, which means that the capsule is coated with a substance that allows it to go through the stomach without breaking down until it reaches your intestines. This means that you are less likely to "burp-up" the fish oil after you take it.