Such as disk breakdown

Back problems are something that many Americans face. There are a variety of back problems that people can either be born with or develop, but fortunately there are many different ways that chiropractors can treat such problems as well as preventative actions that can be taken to help insure that one does not develop back problems. This essay will uncover three common back problems that people can develop, as well as, three ways to insure that one does not develop chronic back pain in the future, and three methods that chiropractors use to treat back pain.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (2014), back pain can be caused by mechanical problems with the back such as disk breakdown, some conditions such as scoliosis, or diseases such as fibromyalgia. One form of disk breakdown is disk herniation. A disk herniation occurs when any direct or forceful pressure on the disk in a vertical direction leads the nucleus of the disk being pushed into the fibers of the annulus of intervertebral canal (Lowe & Odle, 2005). Lowe & Odle (2005) report that a lifting, twisting, or direct injury can cause a herniated disk, but that more often, a herniated disk is caused from constant and compressive loads over time and that sudden instances trigger symptoms of an already damaged disk. Unlike a form of disk breakdown in which an outside force causes the back pain, scoliosis is a spinal disorder that generally runs in families. According to the Mayo Clinic (2012), doctors are unsure of the cause of scoliosis, though the condition seems to involve hereditary factors. However, some rare forms of the disorder may be caused by neuromuscular conditions, birth defects, or injuries or infections of the spine, and adults who had scoliosis as children are more likely to experience chronic back pain than people who did not (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Lastly, various diseases, such as fibromyalgia, can cause back pain. The National Fibromyalgia Research Association (NFRA) (n.d.) defines Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) as a very common condition of widespread muscular pain and fatigue. Like scoliosis, the exact cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, but many researchers believe the syndrome is caused by a disorder of central processing with neuroendocrine/neurotransmitter dysregulation, but genetic factors may also be a cause (NFRA, n.d.).