Low and
middle back pain
Lisa, a 49 year old female, came to Caring Medical suffering with low
and mid
back pain for about two years. She had tried
chiropractic care
and over the counter
anti-inflammatories
with only temporary relief. She also complained of eczema, gas and
bloating, constipation, hot flashes, irregular periods, hair loss, PMS,
history of endometriosis, and low libido. She was on no medications
besides natural
progesterone
cream and some dietary supplements such as fish oils, digestive enzymes,
and calcium.
Because of her extensive medical history, Lisa was in need of a natural
medicine “tune up.” At the first visit, I gave her the
option of doing the “simple” evaluation process or the more “involved”
process. The simple one involved using
Prolotherapy
as the sole method
of treatment. Ideally, we do the more ‘involved’ process because this
process will improve her overall healthy so that she is physiologically
healthy, in conjunction with doing
Prolotherapy. The latter would
involve at least hormone testing, but should also include
Hauser
Diet Typing
and
Food
Allergy
Testing. She decided to just receive Prolotherapy. We treated her
lower
back
and she started some supplements.
She returned about 5 weeks later for her second visit to report a 10%
improvement in pain. She was happy with this, but had decided not to do
the lab tests I had ordered. She received her second
Prolotherapy treatment
to her lower back.
She came back a few months later and at this visit decided to do the lab
tests that were previously ordered. She received another
Prolotherapy treatment. A few weeks later, some of her lab results were reviewed over
the phone. Her
Testosterone
level was quite low and she was prescribed a natural testosterone cream.
We explained that this could have been the reason she had not made as
much progress with Prolotherapy, thus far, as testosterone is very
important in
soft tissue
healing.
When Lisa returned 2 months later, she was not that happy because she
reinjured herself. Upon further questioning, she admitted that her
pain had been 95% gone, so because she felt so great, she decided to
rake leaves in her yard for spring clean-up which set off that “nerve
type pain.”
We explained to her again that the main activity which “injures” the
sacroiliac ligaments
and puts a tremendous amount of stress on the lower back are movements
that involve flexing at the waist and twisting to the side. The lower
back, for most of us, simply does not have enough flexibility and
strength to do motions, especially fast ones that involve both flexing
and twisting. Gardening and raking leaves, for instance, almost always
involve both a twisting and flexing motion. The sacroiliac ligaments, in
particular, are fine if you twist with a straight back or flex forward
without twisting. Once you flex and twist, it puts such a great torque
on the lower back, that in the end, I am sad to say, an injury
eventually will likely result.
So what is the take home point? Even if you receive Prolotherapy, it is
important to use proper back mechanics. The lower back was not meant to
sustain a twisting motion while it is in the flexed position. Doing core
exercises that involve flexing at the waist and twisting, will in all
likelihood, cause you to develop a sacroiliac problem. If you experience
a clicking sound in your lower back, it is too late for you. You already
have an instability problem. Even if it doesn’t hurt that much, you
already don’t have as strong of a back as you should.
So what is a person to do?
Always use proper form when doing activities. This means have your core
muscles contracted (engaged). I think about keeping my chest up. When I
do this my
abdominal muscles
are contracted, as well as my lower back
muscles. This helps stabilize my
sacroiliac joints. Yes, this posture is
how I swim, bike, run, and do weight training. It is how you should be
just sitting at your
computer
now reading this! Keep your chest up. This
pulls your shoulder blades back also!
If you have a lot of other health issues besides pain, get them checked
out. Lisa is a lot healthier because she is on a good natural medicine
program. For her this involves natural hormones, supplements and the
proper
Hauser Diet. She knows what foods to eat and what foods to avoid.
I suspect as the year progresses her health will just get better and
better. What will be the end result? Well, the next time she injures
herself by raking leaves, there will actually be a good chance she will
heal on her own and not get Prolotherapy. Good for her! We wouldn’t have
it any other way!
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