Healthy News June 2021

Back pain patients visit Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn with all sorts of different issues. Some walk better than others. Some have better muscles than others. Some are more susceptible to depression than others. Your Ashburn chiropractor understands this and joins each back pain patient where s/he is and examines each patient to discover the difference(s) that make all the difference when designing an alleviating chiropractic treatment plan. Assessments like the 6-minute walk test that evaluates the distance walked in 6 minutes and the TUG (‘time up to go’ from a seated position) test can be quite educational about musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in degenerative lumbar spine patients. Both may be influenced by back pain. (1) Back muscles that turn weak and fatty (like the multifidus muscle tends to do) signify issues with inflammatory and regeneration processes. (Back surgeons don’t like this as a poorer surgical outcome is likely.) (2) Chiropractors understand this and promote gentle exercise for these back muscles as a component of the treatment plan to prevent recurrent back pain that a few low back disc degeneration sufferers experience. A recent study described that those who tend to get recurrent back pain were found to move differently, more causiously, likely to evade pain. Recurrent back pain patients also suffered with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and disability as well as a reduced quality of life. (3) Your Ashburn chiropractor welcomes all back pain sufferers with all their issues. Your chiropractor partners with each one throughout the current back pain episode and beyond to control the back pain (emotional, physical and mental aspects), so it does not control them.