The human skeleton is designed for a lifetime of walking upright, and this is a result of our early ancestors learning to walk upright in order to hunt game in prehistoric Africa. So, to make a lifetime of upright walking and running possible, the human body features an S-shaped spine, long leg bones, arched feet, and an upright pelvis. This gave our early ancestors many advantages, though even today, walking upright means fighting gravity acutely, and that can wear out the spine. In fact, lower back pain is the leading physical disability, and that is true in the United States, too. Fortunately, many non invasive tools and methods can be used to deal with back pain or help a hospital patient undergo physical therapy, from activator spinal adjustment devices to other rehab tools and systems like stretch tests. Just what is an activator spinal adjustment device, and how can range of motion data help a therapist determine when a patient has recovered? Don’t forget chiropractors, either.
Back and Spinal Pain Today
Many studies and surveys are done every year to track the current state of American public health, and this includes back pain and spinal issues. These studies suggest that at any given time, around 31 million Americans are dealing with back pain, and experts say that as much as 80% of the population may experience back pain at some point in their lives. One in three women and one in four men experience back pain, and it is especially common among the elderly. Four in 10 Americans choose to see a chiropractor directly before even seeing their doctor, and around 27 million patients are treated by chiropractors each year.
What are the leading causes of back pain? Some surveyed Americans believe that ongoing stress is causing their pain, and a pregnant woman may experience spinal stress during the later phases of her pregnancy. Meanwhile, years of hard manual labor can wear out a person’s spine, such as construction work, and that is likely to lead to chronic back pain at some point. Getting into an accident or suffering a sports injury may also cause back pain, and old age is another common cause of back issues. An elderly citizen has spent many years fighting gravity, and their spine starts to collapse and even bend forward from all the stress. This can inflame the joints and reduce mobility, and pinch nerves and cramp muscles. Fortunately, any patient, young or old, can turn to physical therapists or their doctor for non invasive treatment.
Treatment for Back Issues
a patient in the hospital who suffered physical trauma may undergo physical therapy, or PT, and a therapist can help them with that. Advanced medical devices, such as a activator spinal adjustment device, can be used to measure the patient’s muscles and joints to gauge their progress. An activator spinal adjustment device uses a short physical impact to measure the patient’s body without breaking the skin, and the strike will not further distress the body or cause it to cramp up. The patient will lay face down as the therapist uses an activator spinal adjustment device on their spine, from the lower back to the head, going one vertebra at a time. In addition, a therapist can have the patient undergo some basic exercises, and capture their movements with cameras and analyze the movements later with special software. The patient may also stretch out bands to measure their arcs of motion, flexibility, and strength.
Someone suffering from lower back pain can also visit their doctor, and get referred to a specialist. A chiropractor will use a chiropractic adjusting tool and even their bare hands to adjust the patient’s bones and muscles, which can relieve painful pressure on nerves, joints, and muscles without performing any surgery. Doing this can also help restore a patient’s flexibility and range of motion, and help ease pressure on inflamed joints. Meanwhile, a patient can also experience similar recovery when they sign up for private yoga sessions at the instruction of an expert, and perform bends, stretches, and poses to loosen up the body. This can relieve cramped muscles and ease pressure on nerves and joints to clear up pain.
