The human body is the product of millions of years of evolution, and the human race took a unique route in nature: bipedal locomotion. Not even our closest living primate relatives can walk upright for long, but the human form has the right skeleton and muscle coordination to walk on two legs for a lifetime. This comes from our early ancestors’ hunter lifestyle, and even today, the human body is built for running and exercise. Our skeleton features an S-shaped spine, arched feet, long leg bones, and an upright pelvis, though this does come at a cost. Walking upright and fighting gravity so acutely wears out the spine and back muscles over time, and this is a problem right up to the present day. Fortunately, hospital patients who need physical recovery can get access to rehab tools and systems such as muscle strength testing equipment, and a bad back or distressed joints can be taken care of with chiropractic adjusting tools. In many cases, spine and joint issues can be handled with non invasive medicine like this, which is to be desired.
Common Causes of Back Pain
Even with modern medicine, lower back pain is the leading physical disability around the world today, and many surveys and studies are conducted in the United States each year to track the current state of American public health. This includes lower back pain, and some trends have emerged. Experts say that at any given time, around 31 million Americans suffer from back pain issues, and around 80% of the population may experience back pain symptoms at some point in their lives. One in three women and one in four men will experience it, and upper back pain ranks second among all reasons Americans visit their doctor, behind only upper respiratory issues. Four in 10 Americans will visit a chiropractor even before seeing their doctor, to take care of back pain.
What is causing all this spinal distress? Some surveyed Americans blame ongoing stress, while pregnant women may experience spinal stress during later stages of their pregnancy. Meanwhile, years of hard manual labor can strain a person’s spine and back muscles, which is likely to lead to chronic pain at some point. Sports injuries and other physical trauma can also hurt the back, and old age is another common cause of back issues. Many years of walking upright will wear out a person’s spine, causing it to collapse somewhat and bend over forwards. This will inflame the joints, reduce mobility, and pinch nerves, not to mention cramp or strain muscles. Hence, back pain. It is common among the elderly, but solutions always exist, and many of them are non invasive, from muscle strength testing equipment at a hospital to yoga.
Back Pain Solutions
While severe injuries to the spine may call for surgery, regular back pain or stiffness can be handled with non invasive medicine, where no surgery or medication is needed. Someone suffering from pain pain can visit their doctor and explain their problem, and the doctor can then refer them to a chiropractor or a yoga expert. A chiropractor is a specialist doctor who will use chiropractic adjustment tools and even their bare hands on a patient, to readjust their bones and bone muscles without breaking the skin. This can relieve pressure on inflamed joints and pinched nerves, and relieve cramped or strained muscles. This will clear up joint and back pain, not to mention restore the patient’s flexibility and mobility. This is a big industry, taking in $14 billion in the United States per year. Similar results may come from regular yoga sessions with a private instructor, who guides the patient through poses and stretches.
What about muscle strength testing equipment and other physical therapy tools at a hospital? A hospital patient who suffered physical trauma will need physical therapy, or PT, to restore their capacity to walk and stand up. The patient may use muscle strength testing equipment, such as elastic bands, to measure their strengths and arcs of motion, not to mention their pain threshold. That, and the use of motion capture cameras, can help a therapist measure the patient’s progress and determine when they can be released.
