Do you know anyone whose back hasn’t hurt at some point in their lives? About 80% of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetimes. This can be caused by many things, from overdoing it at the gym to poor posture while sitting for long hours at our desks, or from more serious issues such as accidents and injuries.
Symptoms associated with low back pain can come in many forms, from a dull ache to a sharp pain or even burning and tingling. Low back pain can also be experienced at different levels – from acute (short term) to chronic (long term).
In order to find the best treatment or source of relief for chronic low back pain, it is important to first understand the root cause of the pain. Below I will explain three common causes of chronic back pain, which is one of the most common medical complaints in the country.
Tightness from activity
The single most common cause of lower back pain is tightness caused by repetitive motions of daily life. In our clinic, we often hear people say that they’ve “thrown their back out.” Most people think it takes one specific instance to them out of commission, but often times it’s many years of tightness build up that causes this pain. Over time we ignore the subtle signs of tightness and wait until we are hurting when we could have actually prevented the pain entirely. When an injury occurs, it’s best to treat symptoms right away to cut down the severity of pain and recovery time.
Dehydration and inactivity
For most people, pain is most prevalent when they wake up first thing in the morning. This happens because blood flow is decreased overnight while you sleep, which produces muscular and joint stiffness. It is imperative to keep mildly active and to not stay in bed for too long at one time as stiffness can be caused by too much rest and dehydration in the muscles, causing the fascia (which supports the muscle tissue) to create friction and tightness as muscles cannot easily slide among each other.
Muscles cannot remain pliable and healthy if the muscles and fascia do not get enough water. While you may tell yourself you drink plenty of water, if muscles are stiff and tight there is no way those muscles can absorb enough water. The lymphatic system struggles to deliver water and nutrients within tight muscles. In order to hydrate muscles, the first step is to get them loose.
Unfortunately, traditional techniques of loosening up muscles such as stretching, foam-rolling or massage don’t actually loosen up tight muscle tissue. That’s because those methods only reach the surface of your muscles in a large, broad stroke and don’t extend deep enough or hold pressure in multiple dimensions long enough in the region of pain.
Collagen build-up
Another contributing symptom of low back pain might be too much collagen build-up within a muscle which causes pain and tightness. The presence of collagen is a normal attribute in the body as it is laid throughout as a form of protection that innervates muscles. Collagen is a protein-dense connective tissue that gives muscles their shape and form. However, repetitive activity or inactivity cause collagen deposits to bundle in certain areas and cause pain by restricting normal muscle function.
Delos Therapy eliminates collagen bundles that are acquired within the muscle by applying specific pressure throughout the entire muscle where pain is present, consequently stretching it and ridding it of the knotted-up collagen.
Treating low back pain
Once the root cause of the pain and symptoms are understood, the next step is to begin treatment right away. This is where Delos Therapy comes in – Delos Therapy is a revolutionary technique where direct pressure is applied three-dimensionally into tight muscle fibers forcing them to separate, creating pliability which ultimately leads to a significant reduction in pain.
Delos’ unique treatment is a great place to begin because it gets to the root cause of the pain – muscle tightness. Additionally, if you’ve already sought relief from treatments such as chiropractic, physical therapy or others without success, Delos Therapy is a must because it’s so unique and effective.
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