Millions of people are suffering from all types of job injuries ranging from the stress of working in a bad position to improper lifting or carrying to falls and other trauma. Among the most common on-the-job injuries is spinal injury. That's one of the reasons why 85 percent of the population will experience disabling low back pain at least once during their lives! That's almost all of us. The problem is so bad that at any one time, according to one researcher, 6.8% on the U.S. adult population is suffering from an episode of back pain lasting more than two weeks, with the estimated cost of lower back problems in the U.S. being over $50 billion a year. Workers' compensation plans reveal that more than twice as many claims are filed for back "sprains and strains" than any other category of injury. Although 30% of all claims are for back problems, the chronic (long term) nature of these conditions gives rise to 60% of all compensation pain. The standard medical approach to back pain varies depending on the severity of the condition. Usually muscle relaxers, painkillers and rest are prescribed, sometimes in conjunction with traction, diathermy, ultrasound, hot packs, and other procedures. Surgery may be resorted to if all else fails. The medical approach is at times necessary. Surgery, however, has its attendant problems. Many people who have had back surgery report a recurrence of their symptoms within a year or two of the operation and may return to the operating table. In some cases the surgery makes no difference whatsoever. As a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist, I take a different approach to the treatment and prevention of work related injuries. After a thorough neurological examination, I determine which part of the nervous system is not functioning properly. The right brain controls the left side of the body, and the left brain controls the right side of the body. If the patient is experiencing pain on one side of the body (right or left), the opposite brain may be firing at an abnormally high rate. In order for the patient to perceive pain, an area of the brain must fire at a higher frequency of firing. If the pain is bilateral (on both sides), there may be different central structures involved, such as the brain stem or cerebellum. No matter what the condition, it is imperative that the chiropractic neurologist performs a thorough comprehensive exam to determine the exact nature of the patient's condition. |
