NUCCA Chiropractic and Low Back Pain

How the NUCCA Chiropractic Method Can Help You

Learn more about how AlternaHealth, NUCCA & Atlanta Chiropractor Dr. Friedman can help with your back pain »

Pain in the lower back is a common concern, affecting up to 90% of Americans at some point in their lifetime. Up to 50% will have more than one episode. Low back pain is not a specific disease. Rather, it is a symptom that may occur from a variety of different processes. In up to 85% of people with low back pain, despite a thorough medical examination, no specific cause of the pain can be identified.

• Low back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days at work. It is also one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor's office or a hospital's emergency department.
• For 90% of people, even those with nerve root irritation, their symptoms will improve within 2 months, no matter what treatment is used-even if no treatment is given.
• Doctors usually refer to back pain as acute if it has been present for less than a month and chronic if it lasts for a longer period of time.

Medical Approach to Low Back Pain

Phase I

Today, patients have a wide variety of medications to choose from to treat their back pain. Some drugs not only relieve pain but also work to reduce inflammation and relax muscle tension and spasm. However, many of these medications, even those available without a prescription, can have serious side effects. Talk to your doctor before taking any medications for back pain. Physical Therapy can also be prescribed during this phase and or the phase II.

Phase II

If pain relievers and muscle relaxers are ineffective the next course is spinal injections called epidurals. Epidural steroids can be effective in alleviating leg pain resulting from a herniated disc or narrowing of the spine from arthritis as long as the pain has not been present for more than 3–6 months. They are often prescribed in a series of three — 2–3 weeks apart.

Phase III

Surgery to trim a disc (discectomy), relieve spinal cord pressure (lamenectomy), or spinal fusion are the last phase to relieve pain. It is a procedure with significant risks and benefits. Be sure you are well educated about these treatment options prior to this option (see 'back surgery after effects').

The NUCCA Approach to Low Back Pain

Read testimonials from real patients, on how NUCCA Chiropractic helped them! »

There is no doubt that the cause of non-traumatic back issues is spinal misalignment. The bodies main support column is the spine. As the spine misaligns of center the discs bear weight asymmetrically (like a tire out of alignment). Over years the discs degenerate, the vertebrae distort for enhanced stability and the muscle system are recruited to hold up the body's framework.

Most patients have acute episodes that get closer together and increase in pain over time. They also have significant muscle spasm and stiffness from long-term misalignments.

The only way to correct the cause of long–term back pain is to realign the body so that the body is symmetrical and the load of the body is distributed equally. This is what the NUCCA Chiropractic Method is all about.