Let's Talk Back Pain

Let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Back pain:

-Is the most prevalent disability in the world.

-Ranks as the 6th most costly condition in the United States, more than both hypertension and pregnancy-related care.

-Accounts for $10-20 billion dollars in lost wages every year.

The scope of this issue becomes even more apparent when considering that one in four adults reports experiencing back pain within the past three months, and half of all adults have encountered back pain within the past six months.

As those final two data points would suggest, acute back pain has a knack for self-resolving, or "getting better on its own", and for that we should all be thankful. However, we also know that conservative treatments like targeted exercise and chiropractic adjustments can not only shorten recovery times, but also help to prevent future episodes. This preventive aspect is crucial, as recurrent bouts of acute back pain significantly increase the risk of developing chronic back pain, which is a more debilitating and difficult condition to treat as the nervous system often becomes sensitized.

The human nervous system, like all biological defense mechanisms, is designed to err on the side of caution when detecting potential threats. Consider how a rabbit responds to potentially threatening stimuli, perhaps a pine cone falling from a nearby tree—the energy cost of an unnecessary flight response is minimal compared to the potentially fatal cost of failing to react to a fox in search of a meal. Similarly, our pain response system is calibrated to prioritize protection over precision. However, this protective mechanism can become maladaptive when the body faces persistent tissue damage, potentially triggering pain responses even in the absence of any threat. “Pain doesn’t equal harm” is a phrase anyone who presides over or has been through injury rehab has undoubtedly heard.

Sensitization is the primary mechanism of most chronic pain. It develops through repeated pain stimuli—whether from a single injury taking months to heal, or multiple injuries to the same area. Through this process, the nervous system becomes increasingly reactive, leading to heightened pain responses even during normal movement patterns. The result is genuine pain sensation triggered by activities that simply should not be painful. And not only does the pain occur when it shouldn’t, but it can also become more intense as the body is continuously stressed physiologically. Soon sleep is affected, followed by a lack of desire to do anything but remain as comfortable as possible in your home. The feedback loop begins, and it can have devastating consequences.

To wrap this up, when we recognize that chronic back pain isn't simply about structural damage, but rather about how our nervous system processes and responds to potential threats, we open the door to more effective and less invasive treatments. By addressing back pain early through conservative approaches like chiropractic care, targeted exercise, and patient education, we can often prevent the cascade of events that leads to chronic pain and sensitization. This proactive approach not only benefits individual patients, but could help address the broader societal impact of back pain—reducing healthcare costs, preserving quality of life, and potentially preventing the kind of desperate situations that can drive individuals to seek increasingly risky solutions. The best way to navigate this near ubiquitous aspect of modern life is not waiting until it becomes severe enough to warrant invasive procedures, but in understanding, preventing, and properly treating back pain at its earliest stages.

So go for a walk, do some floor exercises, get adjusted, and most importantly: don't wait to seek treatment when you hurt!