Those who slept on firm beds

I am extremely surprised to learn that sleeping on your stomach can lead to chronic back pain. Sleeping on your stomach places pressure on joints and muscles, while sleeping on your side or back elongates your spine and keeps it neutral. If you must sleep on your stomach, slide a pillow under your hips to alleviate potential pressure on disks, ligaments, and muscles. Additionally, your mattress should be of medium firmness and your pillow should keep your head in line with your spine. According to research from Lancet, people with chronic lower back pain who slept on mattresses with medium firmness had fewer aches after three months than those who slept on firm beds.

However, preventative measures are not 100 percent effective. Sometimes back pain and issues do occur even if we take all the precautions. Given the prevalence of back pain, it would seem that all aspects of treatment would be accounted for. Nevertheless, that is far from the case. Dr. Katz says, “The challenge is that you can’t see injuries to tendons, ligaments, and muscles the way you can bone fractures and herniated disks.” One method of treatment is chiropractic care. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous systems, and the effects of these disorders on general health.” Chiropractors perform adjustments and manipulations to the spine and other parts of the body with the goal to correct alignment problems, ease pain, and support the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Some common methods that chiropractors use include the Gonstead technique, Diversified technique, and Logan basic technique. The Gonstead method emphasizes specificity. The problem areas that need treatment and adjustments can be identified from a detailed analysis of spinal x-rays. The Diversified method is a unique way of adjusting lumbar disk herniations to provide instant relief with back pain. The method is characterized by a thrust of the hand with resistance from a table that results in a loud popping sound, restoring the joint and improving neurologic functions. Probably the most popular and commonly taught method, it remains unique from other methods in that its objective is to restore proper movement and alignment of spine and joints. Another method is known as the Logan method. In the Logan Basic technique, a gentle pressure is applied and sustained at the base of the spine. This pressure helps to realign the rest of the bones in the spine, alleviating lower back pains.

Back problems and pain is something that can happen to anyone. As responsible citizens, we should focus on educating one another of the importance of knowing common causes of back pain, preventive measures, and possible treatments.