If you have ever had back pain, especially low back pain, then you know how intense the pain can be. Worse yet, it seems as if once back pain rears its ugly head, like an annoying commercial on the radio, it just won’t go away.
At least you can turn off the radio, but what can you do for back pain other than the usual advice of RICE? (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) There is one key factor that nearly everyone misses when it comes to low back pain; massage therapy.
Why All the Back Problems?
Chances are that if you don’t have back pain now, you will at some point in the future and you probably know someone who has had some serious back pain issues. It’s estimated that 85 percent of all adults will experience some type of back pain in their lifetime. Why is this?
There are a great many reasons why this happens, but one of the main culprits is our modern-day sedentary lifestyle. Let’s face it; you probably sit on your commute to work where you sit in meetings and/or in front of a computer for most of the day, you sit on your breaks, you sit during the evening commute and come home to sit some more watching a screen of some sort.
Then the weekend comes, and we think we can go play on the company softball team, do some gardening, maybe catch up on some DIY home repairs and we wonder why our backs hurt so much the next day.
Unfortunately, most people deal with that minor back pain by sitting even more or lying down and taking a ‘wait and see’ attitude. This only makes the back pain worse.
While there are a great many other reasons for back pain, the scenario above is the one seen in chiropractor’s offices every single day.
Beating the Back Pain Game
Believe it or not, Americans spend at least $50 billion on expenses related to back pain. While some cases of back pain are disease-related and cannot be avoided, most back pain can be significantly reduced or prevented through simple, time tested, non-surgical methods.
How can people avoid costly downtime and medical expenses (not to mention avoiding the excruciating pain caused by bulging or herniated discs)? Massage therapy.
Massage Therapy Feels Great, But Can It Really Help?
There is plenty of research available which shows that massage therapy offers benefits for those suffering from all types of pain, but especially back pain.
● A 2011 study performed at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington, divided 400 subjects with low back pain into several groups. Group 1 received traditional care, such as pain pills and bed rest, group 2 received relaxation massages, group 3 received structural massage. The massage groups received one-hour massage sessions each week. After the 10-week study period, about one third of those who received massage therapy described their pain as completely gone or “much improved.” The massage group spent less hours in bed, took less pain medication, and were more active than the traditional care group. The benefits of these massages lasted through the 6- month follow up period. An interesting note to this is that both massage groups reported the same benefits and pain relief.
● A meta-analysis of 25 studies regarding low back pain and massage therapy found that massage was an effective treatment for this type of pain, however, researchers noted that most studies were short-term in nature and that more studies needed to be performed to see how this type of therapy worked over the long-term.
● A 12-week study performed at the University of Kentucky and Indiana used 104 subjects who had persistent low back pain. Each subject received 10 massage sessions over the study period. More than 50 percent of the subjects stated that they had improved pain levels and of those subjects, it was reported that they still felt better and had less pain after 24 weeks.
● The prestigious and respected Mayo Clinic states that massage therapy is a powerful tool for taking care of your overall health and well-being. In addition to offering relief from low back pain, the Mayo Clinic notes that massage relieves stress, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and helps soft tissue injuries to heal more quickly.
While many might consider massage to be something of a luxury or something given as a gift, but if massage therapy can relieve back pain and result in the use of fewer or in place of drug therapy, why shouldn’t it at least be given a try?
Another Effective Therapy
As one of the best Anchorage chiropractors in Alaska, I would be remiss if I failed to at least mention that chiropractic care and massage therapy go hand in hand when it comes to preventing and stopping back pain.
Nearly all chiropractic clinics employ massage therapists since their goals are similar in that both use hands-on methods to improve the health of the body. Chiropractors work with the spine and massage therapists focus on the muscles and connective tissue which allows the body to do what it does naturally; heal itself!
Even chiropractors know about the benefits of massage therapy, even if they are rarely talked about. Receiving chiropractic care in combination with massage therapy is the best way to keep your back, neck, and the entire musculoskeletal system of the body, in the best possible shape for the pain-free life you were meant to live.
Dr. Brent Wells, D.C.
Dr. Brent Wells, D.C. founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in Alaska in 1998 and has been a chiropractor for over 20 years. His practice has treated thousands of patients from different health problems using various services designed to help give you long-lasting relief.
Dr. Wells is also the author of over 700 online health articles that have been featured on sites such as Dr. Axe and Lifehack. He is a proud member of the American Chiropractic Association and the American Academy of Spine Physicians. And he continues his education to remain active and updated in all studies related to neurology, physical rehab, biomechanics, spine conditions, brain injury trauma, and more.
