Neck and back pain pain causes can stem from a variety of conditions.  Conditions can range from an inflammatory diet, statin drugs (yes, you heard right, statin drugs can be a major cause of not only back pain but joint pain), gall stones, kidney stones, ruptured discs, strains and sprains, repetitive stress, cumulative trauma, a bad bed, poor driving posture, poor work posture, bad shoes, crummy pillows, stress, improper lifting… or attempting the pose the woman above. So knowing the history is half the battle.

Acute and chronic conditions present differently and often result in different treatment plans.  The sooner you treat a condition the sooner the recovery…for obvious reasons one can heal faster if treatment is sought sooner rather than later.

Where To Go For The Answer to Your Back Pain Cause

As you probably know by the name of my website, Denver chiropractor, I practice in Colorado. We serve Lakewood, Littleton, Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Ken Caryl, Golden and all the surrounding areas. We always ask for thorough family history, possible modes of injury, medications, supplements and daily activities. When all of the ‘crumbs’ fall place we can follow the clues to the solution much easier. I liken it to chasing a horse or a zebra.  They both leave very similar tracks, but they’re much, much different. Sometimes the answer is

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When it comes to back pain relief, a visit to the chiropractor has to be on the list, in most cases. Although we’re ‘not real doctors’ To become a chiropractor one must do so by national licensing and national board certifications…not to mention a 4 year bachelor’s degree and 4-5 years of doctoral training in a professional accredited chiropractic university. (Including cadaver lab at 7AM for a year ) And people wonder why I don’t want to go see “Body World’s.”

Back to back pain…

Since back pain relief is so elusive, personally, I like to bring in “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men” to battle it. Most of the time, that’s what it takes.

You get knocked down 7 times, we stand up 8.

There are some home remedies like a topical analgesic, l use Biofreeze. It can provide temporary pain reduction, but by no means is it a cure.  Analgesics like aspirin or Tylenol are often recommended for low grade back pain relief, but unfortunately this option rarely treats the actual CAUSE of the pain.  It’s highly unlikely that your pain is coming from a LACK of aspirin or Tylenol flowing in your veins.

Back pain causes..

Back pain is caused by various conditions and a proper diagnosis will determine proper therapy.  To get a good idea of what’s causing your discomfort, make a journal of the physical things you do the most. Sitting, driving, sleeping, whatever and review how you are performing them. Example: Today I was driving and the car in front of me looked like their was a passenger  driver was in the very middle of the car with no driver. As I pulled up next to him and looked, the driver was slunk over so far that his head was in the middle of the car! God forbid he get rear ended in a position like that…ouch!

Pain relief should start with first knowing what’s causing the pain. Too many doc’s just use the ’shotgun approach.’ The most conservative options such as manipulation therapy, physical therapy, massage, ice or heat should be attempted first.

Acute and chronic conditions can offer a different approach for back pain relief.  Overuse injuries are often chronic in nature.  This being the case, the management of your condition will become more of a process than an event. Sometimes you can expect immediate relief, but often times injuries result in tissue damage which will lend itself to a treatment plan that isn’t an overnight miracle, although we take them when we can.

Things to consider when seeing your Denver chiropractor are not only how long you’ve dealt with low back pain, but also how you my have injured your back.  Mechanism of injury and daily activities give your doctor a better idea of how the injury was sustained.  In knowing this, the doctor can offer better recovery options for you.  In this case, knowing the past can give clues to preventing the spinal pain from coming back.

Things to consider regarding back pain relief:

• How old is your mattress?
• What kind of shoes do you wear? (Check back for a blog post on the “best shoes for back pain” soon)
  
• How much core exercise do you do?
• What’s your posture like? (Like right now?)
  
• When was the last time you sat and performed back pain stretches for 20 minutes?
• How much water do you drink? Let me guess.. “Not as much as I should.” (I’ve heard that one a few times)
• Do you eat a lot of boxed or packaged foods? (They’re inflammatory, you know)
• Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet?
  
• Are you taking a magnesium supplement? Most should be.
  
• Look at the amount of stress you’re dealing with. Most people have no idea how much stress contributes to physical pain.

Here’s a big one that most people have no idea about…Statin drugs are also a HUGE contributor to back, neck and joint pain! I’m seeing it more and more. Patients get off the statins and low and behold… back pain relief!

**As always, remember we serve Denver, Lakewood, Englewood and all of Littleton.

Being a Colorado sports chiropractor is the best. It’s a year-round affair.

Colorado is perpetually regarded as one of the healthiest states in the union. One of the biggest reasons, I believe, is due to the high participatory level of outdoor activities and sports. (Which is why I chose to make Colorado my home)

A few years ago I was given the honor of being Colorado’s Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the Colorado Chiropractic Association and CEPA’s (The chiropractic association for the Care of Elite and Professional Athlete’s) National Chiropractor of the Year. (blush, blush)

Because it’s just what I do, I understand it.

But you may not even be aware that a sports chiropractor can play an important role in the management and treatment of not only your injuries but your ability to perform and excel in your sport- whether it’s on a team or for you individually.

Here are some of the top athletes in the world explaining why they include chiropractic care in their sports medicine routine.

In the video below, you’ll see my good friend and mentor Nick Athens taking care of the San Francisco 49ers. (This is where I worked before moving my sports injury clinic to Colorado.)

Above is Joe Montana after his treatment here in Denver at Mile High Stadium.

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by Dr. Ron Spallone, DC. Chiropractor in Littleton, CO.

I’ve lived in Littleton, Colorado for about 13 years now.

After finishing my professional studies I looked on the map for a place that I thought I could live for the rest of my life, literally.

There were a fair amount of chiropractors in Littleton, but I liked that the community supported natural health and wellness. I packed my Toyota 4-runner with some clothes and fishing gear and drove across the west in what is now a very memorable journey.

I chose Colorado to set up my chiropractic and natural health clinic because of the quality of the lifestyle. I grew up camping, fishing and playing sports all year round. I have an affinity for the open country, especially the west.

I grew up in the Sierra Nevada mountains in a small one stoplight town on a dirt road. I like that Denver and Littleton have a small town feel with big city amenities.

I’ve been here ever since and proudly embrace Colorado as my home. I’m proud to be a chiropractor in Littleton.