Back Pain & Neck Pain

The Ache of the Century ... A Societal Scourge

Our current lifestyles, stress, increased sedentary lifestyle, poor work ergonomics ... all these factors are fostering back pain and neck pain symptoms. We spend most of our time seated in front of a computer. Long seating, less Muscular support leads to weaknesses and small moves can trigger back pain or neck pain. Since both are closely related, one can actually trigger the other.

For instance, bad ergonomic in front of your computer leads to improper and repeated neck position (Cervalgia) . Symptoms can either spontaneous or take a long time to appear. Furthermore, as the body always tries to self correct itself by re-balancing, the pain could manifest somewhere else i.e back pain. so if neck pb body will either try to slve directly pb at neck – neck pain – if not i.e strong neck it will adjust with back – back pain… usually goes from top to bottom

Where is your back pain could be coming from?

The main cause of back pain is not always related to a specific injury such as a herniated disc. There are many factors that cause back pain. It could be :

Trauma (shock, accident, fracture, sprain)
Repeated gestures (manual handling, vibrations)
From stress and overwork
Poor lifestyle (lack of hydration, sleep, bad diet, weight)

In rarer cases, back pain can be linked to cancerous, infectious or inflammatory diseases. But don’t panic, in 90% to 95%, these pains are benign.

They can be treated quickly if the right treatment is in place.

Osteopathy is therefore particularly indicated in the treatment of this back pain

So ... What are the different treatments for back and neck pain ?

There are a multitude of treatments for back pain. Going from drug treatments (analgesic, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, etc.) to non-drug treatments, herbal medicine, physiotherapy, acupuncture, etc. and possibly going as far as surgery in some cases. Multidisciplinary management will sometimes be considered depending on the origin of the pain.

Osteopathy remains today the best suited treatment for the vast majority of back pain (acute pain, completely blocked back, lumbago, stiff neck, neck pain but also pain in the middle of the back).

The osteopath allows you to take care of your back in a preventive, curative, and comprehensive way.

When it comes to back pain, the best Solution is … Motion !

Assurance Maladie France

Why consult an osteopath for your back pain?

The goal of the osteopath is to identify and correct functional impairments that can be one or even the cause of back pain. By knowing your medical history and various manual tests, the osteopath will look for the roots behind this pain.

These can be localized at the level of the column itself but also be located at a distance (Visceral, lower limb… cf: low back pain, back pain, neck pain…). Using specific techniques, the osteopath will seek to relieve tension in order to restore the integrity of the structures and allow them to fulfill their physiological role. The osteopath may find that the origin of your back pain may very well be from your liver, diaphragm, ankle, or Caesarean scar.

Indeed, the principle of comprehensiveness, dear to the osteopath, consists in saying that in our body, everything is linked!

Finally, thanks to advice such as stretching, cladding, breathing exercises and certain physical activities, the osteopath will give you the keys to maintaining your back in good health.

Should you wait until you are in pain to consult an osteopath?

When we have back pain, the first instinct we have is to rest in the hope that “it will pass.” But, this is a mistake! If after 3-4 days you observe that the pain persists, keep an activity as close to normal as possible and consult his general practitioner.

However, we know that a GP appointment can sometimes take several days. This is why you can turn to an osteopath, who, unlike a physiotherapist, can take you without a prescription or before your doctor’s visit. But why is that?

The osteopath can be seen without a doctor’s prescription, whether the pain is acute or chronic. He is trained to judge the management of osteopathy and whether or not there is a need for a medical reorientation.

Osteopathy is one of the preventive medicines. It is therefore advisable to consult once or twice a year, if only to take stock. The osteopath will thus be able to balance tensions that could be responsible for future Back Pain.

Osteopathy can relieve but also prevent lumbago and stiff neck!