Chronic Back Pain in West Fargo ND?

Chronic back pain in West Fargo ND can be complex. We know that the actual pain can come from the disc, facet joints, muscles, and/or ligaments. The spine needs mobility and movement, but it also needs stability and support. Once pain is present for over 3 months the condition is known as chronic rather than acute and the pain can become centralized. Meaning the injured tissue and nervous system send pain signals to the brain and in chronic pain the actual tissue injury can be healed, but the pain signals to the brain can remain which leads to chronic pain.

What we know about treating chronic back pain in West Fargo ND?

Healing injured tissue
We know that certain exercises such as McKenzie exercises and flexion distraction/decompression therapy can help reduce disc herniations. (Many times, a patient has a directional preference. Meaning they tolerate treatment in one direction, but not the other and this can be used during treatment to maximize the benefits of treatment and exercises but decrease the pain and discomfort with treatment.) These exercises and treatments work the disc and spine to help reduce inflammation and increase nutrients and fluid in the disc to improve healing.

Chiropractic Adjustments
We also know chiropractic adjustments help decrease pain, improve range of motion in the spine, reduce the stress to muscles, ligaments and the joints of the spine. The chiropractic adjustment has also been shown to reset the centralized pain pathway to the brain. Meaning one way to get over chronic pain is to use manual therapies such as chiropractic adjustments and exercises to help the body move better. The more and longer we move the more likely the centralized pain is able to reset and we're able to decrease chronic pain.

Stability and Core Strength
We also know that increasing stability and support to the spine is Very Important to help decompress the spine, and support and improve the function of the spine. If we have the correct intra-abdominal pressure and a strong core this helps stabilize the spine and decreases the compression on the spine, disc, and joints, and stress on the muscles and ligaments. (No increasing core strength does not just mean doing 1,000 sit-ups a day will make our core strong. It is much more complex than that!) When dealing with chronic back pain it is important to have our Intra-abdominal pressure assessed and given the proper plan to improve the stability and strength.

We also know the individual muscles that need to be strengthened to help stabilize the spine. Intra-abdominal pressure exercises along with the bird dog, side bridge, bridge with marching, or bridge single leg exercises target key muscles. They also allow the highest muscle activation of important muscles in the spine while decreasing the force or stress on the joints of the spine. This is very important in rehab and recovery to decrease the chance of injury while increasing the chance of recovery.