Dealing With Chronic Pain in the Back or Joints

The human body is designed by many years of evolution for a lifetime of walking upright, making the human skeleton practically unique in the animal kingdom. Millions of years ago, our early ancestors adopted a running and hunting lifestyle, and this called for an upright body that included an S-shaped spine, arched feet, longer legs, and an upright pelvis. This gives humanity many natural advantages, but this also puts a lot of wear and tear on the body. Even today, many millions of people suffer from chronic pain around the world, and chronic pain ranks second among reasons why Americans visit their doctors. While the most serious cases of spinal injury or back problems may call for surgery, lesser cases only require non invasive medicine, ranging from massages to rehab tools and systems like dynamometer muscle testing all the way to chiropractic adjusting tools. These can go a long way toward the patient’s recovery, no surgery needed.

Chronic Pain Causes and Rates

Chronic pain is quite common in the United States and around the world, and many surveys and studies are done to track how often Americans get chronic back pain, and why. A number of common causes have been identified, such as years of working hard manual labor jobs, such as construction. Such labor will naturally put stress on the spine and back muscles, leading to chronic pain sooner or later. A pregnant woman may get back pain later in her pregnancy, and many surveyed Americans also blame ongoing stress for their back pain. Getting into a car accident or getting a sports injury can also cause lower back pain after the trauma, which may require physical therapy, such as dynamometer muscle testing at a hospital. Also, simple old age can cause back pain, since many years of walking upright will wear out the spine and even cause it to collapse on itself. This may stress the muscles, pinch the nerves, and reduce mobility. This is a common issue among the elderly.

How often do Americans suffer from back pain or spinal issues like these? Studies show that at any given time, around 31 million people are experiencing back pain, and around 50% of all working class citizens admit to getting back pain symptoms sometimes. One in three women may experience such pain, and one in four men as well. Experts say that around 80% of the population will experience back pain issues at some point in their lives. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, non invasive medicine can clear up back pain and restore a patient’s mobility without the need for surgery, or even medicine. A patient may get this sort of help at a hospital, a chiropractor’s office, or even a yoga studio.

Hospital Physical Therapy asnd More

If a patient suffered physical trauma and is recovering at a hospital, that patient may undergo physical therapy, or PT, at the hands of a therapist. Among other things, this may include the use of a dynamometer muscle testing device, a handheld device that allows the therapist to gauge muscle strength anywhere on a patient’s body. These dynamometer muscle testing devices can be used while the patient performs any sort of motion or strength test, making them very convenient, and they can measure the results accurately and display them digitally. No incisions or needles are needed to take these measurements.

In addition, that therapist may ask the patient to perform stretch tests on elastic bands or cords, and measure the patient’s strength, maximum range of motion, and their pain threshold to evaluate their progress. On top of that, the patient may perform any variety of movements while range of motion data is captured via a motion capture camera. This physical therapy equipment allows the therapist to accurately read the patient’s movements with specialized software, a useful reference for designing further PT programs or determining when the patient may be released.

On a final note, other Americans who suffer back pain can get a doctor’s referral to a chiropractor, who will use simple chiropractic adjustment tools and even their bare hands to adjust a patient’s muscles and bones. This can loosen muscles and joints, and relieve pressure on bones or nerves to clear up pain. Performing yoga can bring similar results.