The human skeleton is a marvel of natural evolution, as the human race alone is capable of upright, bipedal locomotion. Millions of years ago, our primate ancestors gave up their tree-bound lifestyle for a lifetime of running and hunting game, and this gave our early ancestors many advantages over time. Today, the human skeleton features an S-shaped spine, an upright pelvis, long and hard leg bones, and arched feet. All of this makes upright walking possible, though this does take a toll on the body. Fighting gravity so acutely will wear out the back and the spine, and many people around the world today suffer from chronic back pain for a variety of reasons, from their age to their occupation. Fortunately, only the most serious spinal injury cases call for surgery; meanwhile, rehab tools and systems, and other non invasive medical methods, can be used to handle back pain and spinal issues. How might this work?
On Back Pain
The modern American health industry carries out quite a few surveys and studies to track the current state of public health, and that certainly includes rates of back pain and spinal issues. What do the numbers show? About one in three women and one in four men are contending with back pain issues, and nearly half of all working Americans say that they get back pain symptoms every year. It is also believed that at any given time, 31 million Americans are experiencing back pain, and experts say that around 80% of the population will experience back pain symptoms at some point in their lives.
What is causing all of this back pain? One common cause is hard manual labor, such as construction jobs, where years of hard work will put stress on the back muscles and spine, causing pain later in life. Many surveyed Americans blame ongoing stress for their back pain, and pregnant woman may experience spinal distress during their pregnancy’s later stages. Getting into car accidents or suffering sports injuries can also distress the back and cause pain in the muscles and/or spine, too. Finally, simple old age can cause back pain, since a lifetime of walking upright means the spine has collapsed on itself and bent forward, which reduces mobility, inflames the joints, stresses the muscles, and pinches nerves. Lower back pain is, therefore, quite common among the elderly.
Rehab Tools and Systems For Back Issues
What can be done about all this back pain and these cases of spinal injury? As mentioned earlier, surgery is only needed for the most serious cases. Most cases can be handled when the patient visits their doctor, and they can explain their back pain symptoms and provide other details as needed. In fact, back pain ranks second among the most common reasons Americans visit their doctor, behind upper respiratory issues. A doctor may then refer the patient to a chiropractor, a yoga studio, and/or a pain clinic for further treatment, most of it non invasive.
A chiropractor has rehab tools and systems in the form of chiropractic adjustment tools, not to mention their bare hands, and the expertise to use them correctly. A chiropractor can readjust the patient’s bones and muscles to relieve pressure on joints and bones, and loosen up muscles and free up pinched nerves. This can restore a patient’s flexibility and arcs of motion, not to mention clear up the pain and reduce inflammation. Statistics say that chiropractors treat some 27 million patients per year, and chiropractic adjustments are made about one million times every business day. Many surveyed patients report being quite satisfied with their care.
What about rehab tools and systems at a hospital, such as for a patient recovering from a car accident or sports injury? Many physical therapy tools such as automatic strength tests and algometers can be used to measure a patient’s physical health on any part of the body, often the spine and the vertebrae. Other rehab tools and systems may include motion capture cameras, which record a patient’s movements so the therapist can analyze the data later to track the patient’s progress. Stretch tests can be done to measure the patient’s current strength, arcs of motion, and pain thresholds, such as stretching out long elastic cords during a therapy session.
