Back pain symptoms can develop from a number of different scenarios; sometimes from sources that are not obvious. On this page I provide three case studies in which a box of cereal, lucky running shoes and fried chicken were the indirect instigators of back pain…
I came across quite a few of these scenarios in practice, so if this sounds like you, be comforted in the fact that you are not alone…
The names have been changed, but the rest is true…
Can A Box Of Cereal
Be The Cause Of Back
Pain Symptoms…?
When Mark showed up in my office, his back pain symptoms involved the middle of his back, just to the right side (scapula and rhomboid muscle involvement)…
He also said that he ‘could not turn his neck, or bend it to the side, without pain’…
I asked him when he had noticed the pain…
His reply was that it had happened that morning, but he had not done anything to bring it on himself, it had just ‘appeared out of the blue’…
I asked him if he had done anything strenuous or outside his ‘routine’ as of late…
He said that he had moved house three weeks ago, but that he had movers do the work…
I asked him if he was accustomed to his new place yet. He looked at me puzzled, and I suggested that he go home and take notice of what was different, how the change in his surroundings had forced his physical movement to change…
I adjusted him and sent him home to observe his new space…
Two days later he returned for his next treatment, and said that he had noticed his cereal box shelf had changed, and now he could twist around from his kitchen table (while reading the newspaper) and get a box of cereal…
He was looking a bit sheepish as he told me this, he said he thought this was a ridiculous explanation, but he had noticed that the twisting movement he did from the table to the cupboard shelf was causing the same set of back pain symptoms…
I told him it was not ridiculous at all…
His case assessment revealed that he drank several cups of coffee a day, was in a stressful job, smoked about ten or more cigarettes a day, liked to have a drink after work and did minimal exercise…
His diet also inlcuded mostly pre -prepared and processed food…
These foods can contain sugars and starches that you would not find in fresh food and they can slip genetically modified ingredients in as well…
Genetically modified foods are not inherently bad, they are one POSSIBLE answer to a world food chrisis BUT…!
We do not know what their effect is going to be on us or our farm animal industry in the years to come, and that is where the danger lies, they may be safe BUT WE DO NOT KNOW THIS FOR SURE, TODAY…
If a combination of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are consumed in addition to a stressful lifestyle, your trace minerals and vitamin supply will be depleted. Trace minerals affect nerve firing in the muscle tissue, and when they are depleted, spasms can occur while lifting the lightest of things or from moving in ways that your body is not accustomed to…
Muscle spasms can pull bones out of alignment and this leads to inflammation which increases pain and discomfort…
A proper diet that is right for your blood type can help a great deal with this…
Dr. Peter D’Adamo has spent years on his research regarding the blood type diets and I fully endorse them as I have benefitted from my type O diet immensly…!
Health care maintenance such as:
- Having a diet regime that is right for you…
- A good strength building and exercise program…
- Time spent out of doors for your vitamin D fix is important in allowing tissues to heal and avoiding pathology in bones, muscle and soft tissues and organs of the body…
- An early start in life regarding health care maintenance will minimize back pains and associated symptoms, and lower the risk of injury as you age…
In taking care now, you can avoid back pain symptoms that come with large cash pay outs later; Mark’s cereal box incident cost him over $200.00 dollars in chiropractic care and supplements (quite a few years ago)…
Lucky Running
Shoes…?
When Dan came in to see me, his back pain symptoms were in the lower back, right buttock and down the side of the right leg…
During his assessment he told me he was a runner and that he was not able to finish his last race due to the pain…
This man had a natural runner’s body, even when he walked he floated like a gazelle…
And this Gazelle of a man had some of the best posture I had ever seen even while in pain! He had been running in road races for years, so I was really wondering what was up with him…
I had developed the habit of checking shoes in all patients, friends and family and even total strangers on the tube line thanks to my instructors in chiropractic school…
Had I known this would become a chronic condition in me, I would have taken out shares in several shoe industries across the world, because I am continually sending people to get fitted for new shoes…
Before any adjusting happens, I always have the person remove their shoes; this way I can take a look at the general condition of the shoe and the heels…
In the case of Dan, I could not believe the shape his shoes were in…
He walked so gracefully despite the fact that he had somehow worn the heels right off his shoes. I adjusted him and then we had a discussion on the importance of changing shoes on a regular basis…
- Unless they are handmade, and very expensive, shoes no longer last for years on end. Adults need to change shoes nearly as often as children these days…
I also asked that he bring in all of the shoes he wore regularly as well as the ones for running.
It was during the next visit that I met the ‘Lucky Running Shoes’…
Dan knew what I was going to say…he had realized that they were shot and they were also culprits that led to his joint pain.
As soon as the adjustments took effect and he got re-fitted for running shoes, he was not only out of pain when he ran, he also was hitting a personal best on the average of every three races…
- Shoes will not tell you when they are shot. You have to look for signs of wear and tear on the heels as well as the sole. If you do this you have a better chance of avoiding back pain symptoms…
Fried Chicken…
When Lucille came to see me, her back pain symptoms included sharp pain in the lower mid- back on her right side, and she said her ‘stomach didn’t feel very good when she ate’…
I asked her about the things she liked to eat, and what stuck out for me was that she really liked to eat fried food… Kentucky Fried Chicken was her favorite!
I did a quick check, running my hand down her spine, and noticed a couple subluxations (misalignments) but nothing abnormal until I noticed the heat down her right side at the level of the mid thoracic spine….
I used my stethoscope to check the bowel sounds from her abdomen and there were none in the upper right quadrant…
I suspected gall stones and sent her for an ultra sound scan which confirmed my suspicions…
If you have gall stones, they can cause severe back pain depending on their shape and where they are sitting…
Natural Pain
Relief…
Over the counter as well as prescribed pain relief medications are fast acting and potent, but what happens if you need to take them to manage your pain over a period of years, or for the rest of your life…?
You may wish to do some research and look into some natural pain relief remedies that will not have the toxic effects on your internal organs that most pain medications do after a lengthy period of time…
I have provided some basic information regarding supplementation that provides natural pain relief to help get you started – just click on the link below…
In Summary
Remember that some back pains, and joint pain in general, can be the precursor to more serious conditions…
It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with a few of the indirect causes of back pain symptoms…
Another condition that can cause back pain symptoms is ‘Military Spine’ and you can read more about this on the upper back pain page…
Disclaimer – This is information on joint pain. I teach, but I do not diagnose, prescibe or treat people who contact me. You are responsible for your condition using your own best judgement combined with what you have learned. Just a heads up – bodies carry unusual differences from time to time, in saying that, you could be one of those rare and unusual beings; if you are in doubt, please contact a physician in your area, so you can rule it out.
Move Freely and Knowledgeably and Be Well!
Dr. Jo
P.S… “Greater certainty of your condition alone can be a powerful form of pain relief.”