A brand new study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases says that back pain is now the #1 cause of disability in the world!  I literally just wrote an article last week citing the CDCs statistic that low back pain was the #2 cause of disability in the U.S.  I guess things are only getting worse!  Time magazine just published an article on this study and I am honestly not sure whether to laugh or to cry at the information that people are being given on this topic.

Why Is Back Pain on the Rise?  One Possible Reason...

Nowhere in this article do they mention chiropractic as a treatment option for low back pain, in spite of the mountains of research that supports the efficacy of this treatment intervention, and  the simple fact that spinal manipulation has been around for thousands of years.  Chiropractic has been shown consistently to be the most effective method for treating low back pain.  Numerous studies have shown that patients with back pain who undergo a treatment regimen of spinal manipulation in conjunction with exercise tend to get the best results.  The fact that this article (and I am sure many other media outlets as well) failed to even mention chiropractic as a treatment option for low back pain might give us a clue as to one reason why back pain continues to plague us.

3 Simple Ways to Avoid Becoming a Low Back Pain Statistic!

1. Don't Believe The Hype

Low back pain is a serious problem, not because it isn't manageable, but because too few people know how to manage it!  Some in the media and various medical "authorities" would have us believe that low back pain somehow has us baffled and unable to fix it.  The reasons low back pain statistics are so high is simply because we aren't doing the right thing.  Its kind of like getting bit by rattlesnakes but never being told that such a thing as antivenom exists. Without knowing the most effective intervention, any problem can seem rather scary. These same things could be said for our obesity epidemic as well.

2. Don't Let a Single Experience Define Chiropractic

I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say "oh, I tried chiropractic once and it didn't work for me" and they have since sworn off chiropractic care all together...Really?!  That's like saying "I went to this medical doctor once and he didn't help me" and then never going to another medical doctor ever again.  Sounds rather crazy huh!  But yet, this is what people do all the time with chiropractic - they let one bad experience define chiropractic. Here is something to always remember: chiropractors are not chiropractic!  Just like medical doctors are not medicine.

3. Exhaust All Conservative Options First

Before reaching for pain medication, or scheduling surgery for your back pain, try chiropractic.  When I say "try chiropractic" I mean actually try it.  Don't just go once or twice and give up if you don't see immediate results.  That's like starting a course of antibiotics and then quitting when your infection doesn't immediately go away.  Trying chiropractic means, really listening to your chiropractic physician and following through with the prescribed care plan. This includes doing all the home exercises and activity/lifestyle modifications that are given to you.

There you have it! I know without a doubt that if people would follow these simple steps we would see a dramatic improvement back pain statistics. If the public at large continues to be kept in the dark as to the benefits and effectiveness of chiropractic care for treating low back pain, then back pain will most definitely continue to cause major problems for our nation.